UC-NRLF 


B    M    IDS 


OYS 


IN  THE 


YU5EMITE 


EVERETT  T.  TOML1NSON 


FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 


F()K    A    FEW   MINUTES    THEY    REMAINED    STANDING    IN    SILEM  K. 

."<!>/<'  210. 


FOUR  BOYS  IN 
THE  YOSEMITE 


BY 

EVERETT  T.  TOMLINSON 

AUTHOR  OF 

FOUR   BOYS   IN  THE  LAND  OF  COTTON.  FOUR 

BOYS  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE,  FOUR  BOYS 

ON  PIKE'S  PEAK,  FOUR  BOYS  AND 

A    FORTUNE,    FOUR    BOYS 

ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  ETC 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  GEORGE  A.  NEWMAN 


GROSSET    &    DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS        ::        ::        NEW  YORK 


Published,  August,  1911 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY  A.  J.  ROWLAND,  SECRETARY 
COPYRIGHT,  1911,  BY  LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  Co. 


All  Rights  Reserved 


FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 


Tlorwood   prces 

BERWICK  &  SMITH  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass. 

U.S.A. 


PEEFACE 

AT  a  time  when  Americans  are  traveling 
abroad  as  they  never  have  before,  it  is  not 
inopportune  to  call  attention  to  some  of  the 
wonders  and  glories  of  America.  The  towering 
ranges  of  mountains,  the  majestic  waterfalls, 
the  broad  plains,  and  prosperous  cities  of  our 
own  land  are  well  worthy  of  the  visits  of  all 
who  are  in  love  with  travel.  Best  of  all,  they 
are  our  own.  "  See  America  first  "  is  an  ap 
peal  not  merely  to  a  sentiment  of  patriotism, 
but  also  is  based  upon  many  things  that  are 
true — especially  true  in  the  realm  of  natural 
scenery.  A  man  who  has  recently  returned 
from  a  trip  around  the  world  said  that,  in  all 
his  journey  ings,  he  found  nothing  to  compare 
with  the  sublimity,  impressiveness,  and  beauty 
of  the  Yosemite  Valley. 

Many  do  not  realize  the  advantages  which 
the  nation  has  provided  in  setting  apart  great 
* '  parks, ' '  such  as  the  Yosemite  and  the  Yellow 
stone,  for  the  benefit  of  the  people.  They  are 
ours,  and  foreign  travelers  seldom  fail  to  visit 

3 

MS34B38 


4  PREFACE 

them  when  they  come  to  our  land.  Americans 
ought  not  to  do  less.  The  true  appreciation  of 
our  country  cannot  be  had  merely  by  listening 
to  the  descriptive  words  of  others. 

This  book,  as  the  reader  at  once  will  see,  is 
not  a  book  of  travels,  but  is  rather  the  story 
of  the  travels  of  four  boys.  It  requires  slight 
knowledge  of  live  American  boys  to  understand 
that,  when  they  visit  such  a  place  as  the  Yo- 
semite  Valley,  they  will  discover  many  things 
not  described  in  the  guidebooks,  and  will  have 
many  experiences  unlike  those  of  their  elders. 
Many  of  the  incidents  incorporated  in  this  tale 
actually  occurred.  The  foremost  purpose  of 
the  writer  has  been  not  only  to  interest  his 
young  readers  in  the  doings  of  four  boys,  but 
also  to  inspire  within  them  a  desire  and  a  pur 
pose  to  see  with  their  own  eyes  some  of  the 
marvelous  possessions  of  America.  Intelligent 
patriotism  must  be  based  upon  knowledge,  and 
"  seeing  is  believing." 

EVEEETT   T.    TOMLINSON. 

ELIZABETH,  NEW  JERSEY. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 


PAGE 


I.  ON  THE  TRAIN 9 

II.  AN  UNEXPECTED  STOP 21 

III.  THE  EXCITEMENT  AMONG  THE  PASSENGERS     .  33 

IV.  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT 45 

V.  THE  INTERVIEW 57 

VI.  AN  AUTOMOBILE         ......  69 

VII.  THE  START  FOR  THE  YOSEMITE        ...  81 

VIII.  THE  OCCUPANT  OF  UPPER  SEVEN     ...  95 

IX.  AN  EVASIVE  TRAVELER 107 

X.  COACHING 120 

XI.  INTO  THE  VALLEY 132 

XII.  THE  SENTINEL 143 

XIII.  AN  INTERRUPTED  QUOTATION   ....  155 

XIV.  IN  THE  TORRENT 167 

XV.  INVESTIGATING 179 

XVI.  THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  INDIAN     .        .        .        .191 

XVII.  UNDER  THE  FALLS 204 

XVIII.  A  NIGHT  LETTER 216 

XIX.  THE  ASCENT 228 

XX.  THE  TRAIL .241 

XXI.  THE  CLIMB 253 

5 


6  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXII.    A  MESSENGER 266 

XXIII.  THE  YOSEMITE  CHIEFTAIN        .       .        .       .278 

XXIV.  To  CLOUD'S  REST 291 

XXV.  THE  DISCOVERY  IN  THE  CANON        .        .        .    303 

XXVI.    COACHING  AGAIN 315 

XXVII.    A  MOUNTAIN  LION 327 

XXVIII.  THE  ROAD  IN  THE  FOREST       .        .       .       .340 

XXIX.    WAWONA 352 

XXX.    JOHN'S  BEAR 364 

XXXI.    AMONG  THE  BIG  TREES 376 

XXXII.  CONCLUSION                                                       ,    389 


FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 


CHAPTER  I 

ON   THE   TRAIN 

"  WHAT  does  this  mean?  "  demanded 
cum  Brown,  as  soon  as  he  and  his  three  friends 
had  seated  themselves  in  the  dining-car  of  the 
train  which  was  swiftly  bearing  the  four  boys 
toward  San  Francisco,  now  not  more  than 
thirty  miles  away. 

"  What  does  what  mean?  "  responded  Lee 
Harris  lightly. 

"  Listen  to  this,  fellows,"  continued  Larcum, 
ignoring  his  friend 's  question  and  reading  from 
the  card  which  he  found  on  the  table  before 
him.  "  '  Bean  soup,  one  dollar;  Mexican  beef, 
prime  cut,  a  dollar  and  a  half;  beef,  up  long, 
one  dollar  and  a  half;  beef  with  one  potato,  fair 
size,  a  dollar  and  a  quarter;  tame  beef,  from 
the  States,  a  dollar  fifty;  baked  beans,  plain, 
are  seventy-five  cents;  and  baked  beans, 

d 


10     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

greased,  are  a  dollar.'  Now,  what  do  you  think 
of  that?  " 

"  What  are  you  talking  about,  Larc?  "  de 
manded  John  Adams  Field,  Jr.,  who  was  fa 
miliarly  known  to  his  friends  as  "  Jack/' 

"  I  thought  the  price  of  beans  would  bring 
a  response  from  our  learned  companion  from 
Boston,"  laughed  Scott  Gordon.  "I'll  tell  you, 
Jack,"  he  added,  turning  to  his  friend  as  he 
spoke,  "  what  you'll  have  to  do.  You  give  an 
order  for  three  beans  and  a  potato  skin.  That 
will  be  enough  to  remind  you  of  home  and 
mother,  anyway." 

"I'm  not  done  yet,"  broke  in  Larcum,  still 
holding  in  his  hand  the  card  from  which  he  was 
reading.  "  Here  are  some  of  the  entrees.  Per 
haps  they'll  suit  you  better:  Sauerkraut  is  only 
a  dollar,  fried  bacon  is  the  same  price;  hash, 
4  low  grade,'  is  seventy-five  cents;  and  hash, 
c  eighteen  karat,'  is  dealt  out  at  the  trifling  sum 
of  one  dollar.  No,  hold  on!  Here's  what  Jack 
craves, ' '  he  added  lightly.  ' '  Here 's  the  '  game, ' 
codfish  balls,  double,  at  seventy-five— 

"  Cents  or  dollars?  "  interrupted  Lee,  with  a 
laugh. 

"  Cents,  of  course,"  replied  Larcum  de 
murely.  "  What  did  you  think?  Then,  if  cod- 


ON  THE  TRAIN  11 

fish  is  too  far  from  its  native  air  or  lair,  you 
can  have  a  grizzly  roast  for  a  dollar,  or  grizzly 
fried  for  a  quarter  less.  Ah,  here  we  have  it: 
here's  a  whole  jackass  rabbit  for  only  a  hun 
dred  cents.  One  order  ought  to  be  enough  for 
all  of  us." 

"  Any  pastry,  Larcf'1  inquired  Scott  so 
berly. 

"  There  certainly  is,"  answered  Larcum. 
"  Rice  pudding,  plain,  can  be  had  for  the  tri 
fling  sum  of  three-quarters  of  a  dollar;  but,  if 
you  want  it  served  with  molasses,  it  will  cost 
you  a  quarter  more.  With  brandied  peaches, 
the  price  is  still  one  dollar  higher.  Here  we 
have  what  we've  been  looking  for — *  square 
meal  with  dessert,  price,  three  dollars.'  How 
does  that  strike  you?  " 

"  I  know  where  it  strikes  me,"  said  Scott. 
"I'd  have  neither  the  heart  nor  the  pocket  for 
much  of  that  bill  of  fare.  "What  are  you  doing, 
anyway,  Larc?  What  is  that  you  are  read 
ing?  " 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,"  responded  Larcum,  as 
he  clung  to  the  card  he  was  holding.  "  It  says 
here,  '  Everything  is  payable  in  advance/  and 
that  '  Gold  scales  can  be  found  at  the  end  of 
the  bar.'  " 


12     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  Y08EMITE 

"  What  is  that  card?  "  asked  John,  once 
more. 

t  i  This  card  is  a  souvenir — a  reproduction  of 
a  bill  of  fare  at  the  El  Dorando  Hotel,  Placer- 
ville,  Cal.  It  was  in  use  in  the  good  old  days 
when  the  '49  gold  excitement  was  the  prevailing 
distemper.  The  railroad  people  have  printed 
this  card  as  a  souvenir,  which  I  intend  to  take 
home  with  me  and  keep  for  our  party." 

66  More  likely  it's  a  reprint  to  make  us  feel 
a  little  more  easy  in  our  minds  when  we  face 
the  prices  of  to-day.  What  does  l  gold  scales 
at  the  end  of  the  bar  '  mean?  ' 

"  They  were  doubtless  used  in  weighing  the 
gold-dust  of  the  miners,"  explained  John. 
"  You  know,  the  miners  didn't  have  much 
money — they  usually  paid  in  gold-dust  in  those 
days." 

11  I  know  an  old  gentleman  in  New  York," 
said  Scott,  * '  who  took  a  schooner  full  of  onions 
around  Cape  Horn  in  the  time  of  the  excitement 
over  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California— 

' i  Onions !  ' '  interrupted  Lee.  ' l  What  in  the 
world  possessed  him  that  he  wanted  to  take  a 
whole  cargo  of  onions  out  there!  Why,  if  he 
had  taken  pickaxes,  or 

"  He  knew  what  he  was   about,"  retorted 


ON  THE  TRAIN  13 

Scott,  breaking  in  upon  his  friend.  "  He  knew 
the  miners  would  be  suffering  from  scurvy,  and 
that  onions  would  be  in  demand.  He  sold  out 
every  onion  he  had  at  twenty-five  cents  apiece. 
He  never  did  a  stroke  of  work  after  that." 

"  Why  not?  "  demanded  Lee. 

"  Had  all  the  money  he  wanted,"  explained 
Scott. 

"  That  was  blood  money,"  said  John  sharply. 

"  I  suspect  it  might  have  been  a  bit  tainted, 
Jack,"  laughed  Scott.  "  But,  then,  compared 
with  some  of  your  New  England  cargoes  of 
Jamaica  rum  or  slaves  stolen  off  the  coast  of 
Africa,  it  wasn't  so  bad." 

"  Now,  see  here,  Scott  Gordon,"  began  John 
sharply,  "  you  know  just  as  well  as  I  do 
that " 

"  I  know  I'm  hungry,"  broke  in  Scott. 
''What  I  want  is  my  breakfast.  I've  been 
rolling  around  all  night  in  that  upper 
berth " 

"  And  kept  it  up  till  morning,  if  the  blasts 
from  upper  seven  were  any  indications  of  your 
occupation,"  declared  Lee. 

"  Why  didn't  you  wake  me?  Why  didn't  you 
call  me  down?  " 

"  Because  you  weren't  up." 


14     FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  YO SEMITE 

"  Why  didn't  you  call  me  up?  " 

"  Because  you  weren't  down." 

"  Quit  that,"  growled  Larcum.  "  Here,  how 
will  this  do  for  an  order  for  our  breakfast?  " 
he  added,  and  read  aloud  from  the  slip  of  pa 
per  on  which  he  had  been  busily  writing. 

< '  It's  all  right,  Larc,"  said  Scott,  without 
looking  at  the  order.  "  After  a  man  has  had 
five  nights  on  a  sleeper,  he's  ready  to  take  al 
most  anything  l  unsight,  unseen.'  I'll  trust 
you." 

As  the  other  boys  quickly  agreed,  the  order 
was  given  by  Larcum  to  the  waiter,  and  the 
boys  settled  back  in  their  seats  to  await  the 
preparation  of  the  breakfast  which  Larcum  had 
selected  for  the  four. 

While  they  are  waiting,  with  such  patience 
as  they  possess,  we  can  take  a  hasty  glance  at 
the  quartet.  Several  years  before  the  time 
when  this  story  opens,  the  four  boys  had  been 
classmates  in  a  famous  preparatory  school  in 
New  England.  Larcum  Brown,  sometimes 
called  "  Cupid,"  and  more  commonly  known 
as  "  Larc,"  was  the  giant  of  the  band.  On 
the  football  field  his  fame  was  great,  for  his 
huge  size  and  immense  strength  had  served  the 
school  in  more  than  one  apparently  hopeless 


ON  THE  TRAIN  15 

plight.  Wearied  of  college,  at  the  end  of  his 
freshman  year  he  had  withdrawn,  to  enter  the 
offices  of  the  T.  Gr.  &  P.  Eailroad,  a  corpora 
tion  of  which  his  father  was  a  vice-president. 
Larcum's  home  was  in  Chicago. 

John  Adams  Field,  Jr.,  the  "  Jack  "  of  the 
party,  was  from  Boston.  In  scholarship,  he 
easily  outstripped  his  friends,  leading  his  class 
in  the  preparatory  school,  and  now,  after  three 
years  in  college,  winning  a  place  in  the  front 
rank  of  his  college  class.  And  yet  Jack  was  not 
"  bookish,"  for  his  love  of  sport  and  of 
travel  had  already  become  manifest  to  his 
companions. 

The  third  member  of  the  party,  Lee  Harris, 
was  from  the  South.  Tall,  slender,  dark  of 
hair  and  eyes,  his  gracious  ways  had  made  him 
one  of  the  most  popular  students  in  college, 
although  his  warmest  and  most  intimate 
friends  were  those  that  were  with  him  at 
this  time. 

Scott  Gordon's  home  was  in  New  York.  Not 
so  studious  as  Jack,  nor  so  athletic  as  Larcum, 
he  yet  stood  high  in  scholarship  and  games. 
His  well-knit,  muscular  frame  was  indicative 
of  his  continued  good  spirits,  and  the  complaint 
which  he  had  made  of  his  quarters  in  the  sleep- 


16     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TOSEMITE 

ing-car  was  looked  upon  as  more  or  less  of  a 
joke  by  his  companions,  who  were  aware  of 
Scott  's  propensity  to  sleep  "  standing,  walking, 
reciting,  on  horseback,  or  on  foot,"  as  Lee 
laughingly  described  his  friend's  tendency. 

In  preceding  summers  the  four  boys  had 
made  journeys  together,1  and  now  they  were 
all  together  again  for  one  of  their  enjoyable 
trips. 

This  time  their  destination  was  to  be  the  won 
derful  Yosemite  Valley,  in  California.  On  this 
morning,  when  we  find  them  seated  about  a  ta 
ble  in  the  dining-car,  their  long  journey  of  five 
days  across  the  continent  is  almost  at  an  end. 
San  Francisco  is  less  than  thirty  miles  distant. 
Not  one  of  these  boys  has  ever  seen  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and,  although  every  day  of  their  long 
journey  has  had  its  own  interesting  experi 
ences,  their  keenest  interest  has  been  aroused 
by  the  thought  that  they  now  were  near  their 
journey's  end. 

"  Too  bad  I  couldn't  get  away  a  little 
longer,"  said  Larcum,  while  waiting  for  their 
breakfast.  "  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I 


Four  Boys  in  the  Yellowstone,"  "Four  Boys  in  the 
Land  of  Cotton,"  "Four  Boys  on  the  Mississippi/'  and  "Four 
Boys  and  a  Fortune." 


ON  THE  TRAIN  17 

might  have  managed  it,  but  it  isn't  quite  fair 
to  the  T.  G-.  &P." 

"  What  salary  do  you  have  now,  Larc?  " 
asked  Lee. 

"  I've  risen  from  the  ranks  of  the  more 
humble  toilers.  I  started  in  at  six  per " 

"  If  we  don't  know  it,  the  fault  isn't  yours, " 
broke  in  Scott. 

"  I  started  in  at  the  humble  stipend  of  six 
per,"  resumed  Larcum,  ignoring  the  interrup 
tion,  "  and  now  I " 

"  Didn't  your  father  suggest  that  that  was 
just  six  dollars  a  week  more  than  you  were 
worth?  "  demanded  Scott. 

"  A  man's  father  sometimes  is  prejudiced. 
Still,  as  I  look  back  to  my  humble  beginning, 
I  realize  there  was  a  measure  of  truth  in  his 
remark.  But  not  long,  sir;  not  long.  Soon 
that  mighty  corporation  rose  to  its  privilege, 
and  I  was  made  the  proud  recipient  of  seven 
per.  To-day  I  have  an  office  boy  that  I 
can  boss !  Sometimes  I  even  dictate  a  letter. 
I'm  no  longer  afraid  of  the  porter,  and  there 
are  times  when  strangers  even  dare  to  address 
me  as  '  mister.'  " 

"  They  must  be  strangers — strange,  stran 
ger,  strangest,"  suggested  Scott. 


18     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  What  are  your  wages  now,  Larc?  "  in 
quired  John. 

"  My  salary  is  twelve  per — an  increase  of 
one  hundred  per  cent,  in  three  years." 

"  Services  doubled  in  value,  too?  " 

"  Modesty  forbids  me  to  enter  into  de 
tails,"  retorted  Larcum.  "  Scott,"  he  added 
abruptly,  as  for  the  first  time  he  caught  sight 
of  a  card  pinned  to  the  vest  of  his  friend, 
11  what's  that  label  you  have  put  on  yourself!  " 

"  That  isn't  a  label — that's  just  a  card  of 
explanation,"  replied  Scott  soberly.  "  I've 
placed  it  there  on  my  vest  so  that,  if  we  should 
by  any  chance  have  an  accident,  the  surgeons 
would  be  saved  a  good  deal  of  trouble  and  I 
should  be  saved  a  big  bill  of  expense." 

' '  What  is  the  warning,  anyway !  ' '  continued 
Larcum,  as  he  leaned  toward  his  friend,  and 
then  read  aloud :  "  l  I  am  not  suffering  from 
appendicitis !  I  have  been  in  a  railroad  wreck ! 
My  appendix  has  already  been  cut  out  three 
times.  Twice  since  the  last  operation  I  have 
been  told  that  I  was  threatened  with  appendi 
citis.  I  don't  know  who  has  my  appendix  now, 
but,  if  you  want  to  cut  it  up  or  cut  it  out,  you 
will  have  to  find  its  present  owner.  I  decline, 
with  thanks,  all  your  offers  to  remove  it  from 


ON  THE  TRAIN  19 

me.  This  is  just  a  plain,  ordinary  case  of  ac 
cident  and  must  be  treated  as  such.'  " 

"  What  in  the  world  made  you  do  that!  " 
demanded  Lee,  as  Scott's  three  friends  laughed 
loudly. 

"Well,"  began  Scott,  in  mock  seriousness, 
"  one  never  can  tell,  and  it  pays  to  be  on  the 
safe  side.  I  don't  mind  a  few  operations,  but 
I  don't  want  to  get  the  habit." 

"  You  stand  about  as  good  a  chance  of  be 
ing  operated  on  for  appendicitis  as  you  do 
of  being  scalped  by  the  Indians,"  laughed 
John. 

"  Well,  the  Indians  are  becoming  civilized 
and  adding  all  the  modern  improvements,"  said 
Scott.  "  I  was  reading  in  the  paper  only  yes 
terday  that  Dog  Soldier's  wife,  Josephine, 
wanted  a  divorce  from  her  husband,  because 
she  recovered  from  an  illness  which  her  spouse 
thought  would  prove  fatal  and  let  him  take  the 
widow  of  Mr.  James  Bull  Tail  as  his  future 
helpmeet." 

"  I  saw  that  item  of  news,  too,"  laughed 
John,  "  only  the  story  I  read  was  that  James 
Bull  Tail  was  suffering  from  exposure  that 
came  to  him  because  Mistress  Bull  Tail  beat 
and  kicked  him  out  of  her  tepee." 


20     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  Never  mind!  Here  comes  our  breakfast, 
boys!  "  exclaimed  Larcum,  as  the  dusky  waiter 
was  seen  approaching,  skillfully  balancing  his 
tray  above  his  head,  and  apparently  unmindful 
of  the  swaying  of  the  train. 


CHAPTER  II 

AN   UNEXPECTED   STOP 

THE  welcome  that  the  waiter  received  caused 
the  shining  face  of  the  negro  to  glow,  and  vi 
sions  of  his  expected  tip  were  already  before 
him.  For  a  few  minutes  none  of  the  boys  spoke, 
so  intent  were  they  all  upon  the  food  that  had 
been  served.  Such  a  condition,  however,  could 
not  long  continue,  and  Lee,  looking  up  from 
his  plate,  said :  '  <  Larc,  did  you  hear  what  Scott 
said  to  that  beggar  that  hailed  him  near  the 
station  in  Chicago?  " 

"  No.  What  did  Scott  say!  "  responded  Lar- 
cum,  without  looking  up  from  his  plate. 

"  It  was  a  one-legged  man  that  stopped 
Scott.  He  had  the  regulation  whine,  and,  as 
soon  as  he  saw  us,  he  thought  we  would  be  easy. 
He  looked  at  Scott  as  if  he  thought  he  was  his 
long-lost  son,  and  began  to  cry.  l  If  you 

please/  he  whined, '  I've  lost  me  leg '  Scott 

didn't  wait  for  him  to  say  it  all,  for  he  stopped 
short  and  inquired  anxiously,  l  You  say  you've 

21 


22     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

lost  your  leg!  '  '  Indeed,  I  have,  me  young 
friend, '  moaned  the  beggar,  who  was  a  pro 
fessional  and  knew  his  trade.  '  That's  too 
bad/  Scott  went  on.  *  I'm  quite  likely  to  lose 
things  myself.  Do  you  want  us  to  help  you 
find  it?  '  The  beggar  looked  at  Scott  a  min 
ute  as  if  he  didn't  know  just  what  to  say,  but 
Scott's  face  was  so  gentle  in  its  expression  that 
he  took  courage.  '  Yis,'  he  began  again,  '  I've 
lost  me  leg.'  *  So  you  told  us,'  said  Scott. 
*  We  haven't  very  much  time,  for  we  must  take 
another  train,  but,  if  we  can  help  you  look  for 
it,  we'll  be  glad  to  do  it.  Have  you  any  idea 
where  you  lost  it!  '  The  old  fellow's  face  be 
gan  to  get  red  then — at  least,  it  got  a  bit  red 
der  than  it  was  before — and  I  thought  he  was 
going  to  lay  hands  on  our  gentle  friend  from 
New  York.  He  changed  his  mind  all  at  once, 
however;  and,  almost  weeping,  began  again, 
c  Yis,  young  gentleman,  I  lost  me  leg.'  l  You 
look  at  me  as  if  you  thought  I  had  it,'  said 
Scott,  in  that  mournful,  reproachful  tone  of  his 
that  brings  us  all  to  him.  You  know  what  I 
mean,  don't  you!  ' 

"  I  should  say  we  did  know,"  broke  in  Lar- 
cum  warmly. 

"  Of  course  we  know,  but  the  old  beggar 


'AN  UNEXPECTED  STOP  23 

man  apparently  didn't,  for  he  glared  at  Scott 
and  then  growled,  '  I'm  tellin'  yez  I  lost  me 
leg.'  '  '  And  I'm  telling  you,'  said  Scott  softly, 
'  that  I  haven't  got  it.  Your  tones  seem  to 
imply  that  you  have  a  suspicion  of  my  personal 
integrity.  If  you  want  me  to,  I'll  go  before 
a  notary  public  and  make  an  affidavit  that  I 
haven't  got  your  leg,  that  I  haven't  seen  it,  and, 
furthermore '  Scott  didn't  finish  the  sen 
tence,  for  the  beggar  man  up  with  his  crutch 
in  one  hand  and  grabbed  his  wooden  leg  with 
the  other,  and  started  for  him.  I  never  saw 
Scott  sprint  better.  And  there  was  the  crowd 
all  looking  at  him,  as  if  every  one  was  tempted 
to  join  in  the  chase.  Indeed,  I  heard  one 
woman  say,  '  What  a  shame  for  an  able-bodied 
young  man  like  that  to  make  trouble  for  a  poor 
old  one-legged  man!  '  I  could  hardly  keep 
back  my  tears.  I  turned  to  her  and  said : '  That 
sentiment  does  you  credit,  madam.  It  is  a 
shame,  but  I'm  afraid  that  young  wretch  isn't 
capable  of  sharing  in  that  feeling.'  *  He  cer 
tainly  did  have  a  hard  face,'  she  said— 

"  What  had  become  of  Scott  by  this  time!  " 
asked  Larcum. 

"  Oh,  with  his  usual  slippery  facility,  he'd 
dodged  the  crowd  and  come  back  into  the  sta- 


24    FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

tion.  Even  then,  when  I  found  him  there,  his 
adamantine  heart  was  not  in  the  least  softened. 
What  do  you  think  of  that,  fellows, — treating  a 
poor  old  man,  with  a  wooden  leg,  like  that?  " 

"Now,  what  did  I  do?"  protested  Scott. 
"  I  was  trying  to  treat  the  old  whisky-soaked 
ruffian " 

"  l  Treat  '  him?  "  interrupted  Larcum. 
"  What  was  it  you  were  trying  to  do?  Say 
that  again,  and  say  it  slowly." 

"  Isn't  this  country  magnificent?  "  suggested 
John,  as  he  called  the  attention  of  his  com 
panions  to  the  region  through  which  the  train 
was  swiftly  passing.  "  Did  you  ever  see  such 
land?  Then,  with  the  great  green  hills  just 
beyond  the  valley,  it  makes  a  picture  one  can't 
forget.  Look  at  the  fields !  Just  see  how  pros 
perous  every  place  is.  Did  you  ever  see  such 
vineyards?  And  the  horses  and  cattle  and 
sheep!  Why,  they  are  as  fine  as  the  houses. 
You  were  speaking  a  minute  ago  about  beg 
gars.  Doesn't  seem  as  if  the  word  had  any 
place  out  here." 

"  It  certainly  is  a  beautiful  country,"  ac 
knowledged  Scott,  as  all  four  boys  gazed  with 
interest  at  the  scene.  All  that  John  had  said 
was  true,  and  in  the  mellow  light  of  the  early 


AN  UNEXPECTED  STOP  25 

morning  the  sight  of  the  region  was  one  to 
impress  the  young  travelers. 

"  Isn't  much  like  the  farming  down  East;  is 
it,  Jack?  "  inquired  Larcum. 

"  No,"  answered  John  promptly. 

"  I  wonder  what  one  of  these  ranchmen  would 
think  if  for  one  day  he  should  find  farming  here 
like  what  it  is  in  your  country.  No  shooting 
beans  into  the  rocks  here,  so  they'll  stay 
planted.  No  filing  the  noses  of  the  sheep  so 
they  can  get  at  a  spear  of  grass  between  the 
rocks.  No  stones  for  the  plows  to  strike.  No 
dry  spells — you  see,  these  farmers  in  the 
"West  are  not  dependent  on  the  weather  any 
more " 

"  Why  not?  "  asked  Lee  quickly. 

11  They  bring  the  water  right  to  the  field  in 
ditches.  Irrigation  is  the  new  trick  now.  When 
a  farmer  has  that,  he  doesn't  care  whether  or 
not  it  ever  rains.  Then  I  wonder  what  a  farmer 
up  in  the  hills  of  northern  New  Hampshire 
would  think  of  raising  two  or  three,  or  even 
five  crops  on  the  same  land,  and  all  within  a 
year " 

i '  Five  crops  of  what?"  demanded  John 
scornfully. 

"  Alfalfa,  for  one  thing — at  least,  they  raise 


26     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

five  crops  of  it  in  the  same  year  in  the  South 
west.  Get  twenty-five  dollars  a  ton  for  it,  too. 
I'm  telling  you  the  boys  don't  leave  the  farms 
out  here  the  way  they  do  back  in  the  worn-out 
places  where  you  live." 

"  There's  one  crop  out  here  they  can't  raise 
as  well  as  they  can  in  the  East,"  said  John 
quietly. 

"  What's  that?  "  demanded  Larcum  quickly. 

"  Men." 

"  Don't  you  believe  that!  Don't  you  believe 
it  for  a  minute !  I'm  telling  you  that  the  great 
est  race  the  world  has  ever  seen  is  going  to  be 
found  out  here.  Why,  man,  just  think  of  what 
there  is  here!  There's  a  combination  of  ocean, 
mountain,  soil,  and  climate  that  beats  anything 
ever  known!  Then  the  class  of  people  coming 
in  here  is  of  the  best.  No  riffraff  of  Europe 
settling  down  here,  no  Black  Hand,  no  failure 
of  crops,  no  droughts— 

"  You'll  never  get  the  greatest  race  on  earth 
where  there  aren't  any  storms,"  retorted  John 
warmly.  "  No  race  ever  grew  strong  where 
there  was  just  perpetual  sunshine.  Can't  be 
done.  Why,  there's  nothing  in  the  world  to 
put  fire  into  a  fellow,  and  make  him  feel  that 
he  can  go  out  and  fight  the  world,  like  a 


AN  UNEXPECTED  STOP  27 

real,  old-fashioned,  roaring,  howling,  northeast 
storm.  I  wouldn't  want  to  live  where  they 
didn't  raise  that  as  a  part  of  their  crops." 

"  They  get  storms  and  a  quake  once  in  a 
while,  but  there  isn't  anything  out  here  to 
interfere  with  success.  Why ': 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,  Larc,"  interrupted 
Scott.  "  Do  you  own  any  land  out  here?  ' 

"  Not  an  inch." 

11  Does  your  father?  ' 

"  Yes."  As  his  friends  laughed,  Larcum 
continued  warmly,  "  He  owns  some  because 
what  I've  been  telling  you  is  true." 

"  Oh,  no;  you've  been  telling  us  it  is  true 
because  you  or  your  father  own  the  land. 
You're  a  '  boomer,'  like  all  the  others." 

"  Boom  nothing!  Can't  you  fellows  see 
what  is  right  before  you  when  you  look  out  the 
car  windows?  ' 

"  Boomer!  A  common  boomer,  and  he  is 
nothing  more !  ' '  said  Scott  slowly,  shaking  his 
head  and  his  eyes  twinkling  as  he  was  aware 
that  his  friend  had  been  thoroughly  aroused. 

"  Oh,  you  fellows  are  so  full  of  your  own 
ideas  you  haven't  room  for  anything  more,  no 
matter  how  true  it  is !  You  talk  about  Plymouth 
Bock  and  all  the  hardships  of  the  Pilgrims. 


28     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 


were  their  hardships  compared  with 
those  which  the  men  who  first  came  into  Cali 
fornia  suffered?  Have  you  forgotten  the  voy 
age  around  Cape  Horn!  Why,  that  of  itself 
was  enough  to  drive  away  any  but  the 
strongest.  Then,  there  was  the  long,  slow 
journey  overland,  the  fights  with  the  Indians, 
the  drought,  the  slow-moving  old  prairie- 
schooners,  the  climbing  the  mountains,  the 
crossing  the  plains  and  the  rivers  —  why,  if 
meeting  hardships  makes  a  race  strong,  then 
California  certainly  ought  to  have  the  strongest 
race  on  earth,  for  its  early  settlers  had  to  meet 
things  that  make  the  Mayflower  look  like  a 
sailboat  on  a  Sunday-school  excursion.'' 

"  You  forget  the  main  thing,"  said  John,  as 
he  quietly  looked  at  his  excited  friend. 

"  What  do  I  forget?  "  demanded  Larcum. 

1  1  The  difference  between  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
and  the  Forty-niners.  One  party  came  so  that 
they  might  be  free  to  worship  God  as  their  own 
consciences  dictated,  and  the  other  came  out 
here  for  gold." 

"Bosh!  Stuff!  That  isn't  so!"  retorted 
Larcum  warmly.  "  I  guess  they  all  had  more 
or  less  of  the  *  gold  fever,'  only  in  California 
they  found  it,  and  on  Plymouth  Eock  the  metal 


'AN  UNEXPECTED  STOP  29 

was  mighty  scarce.  But  I'm  thinking  your  old 
Puritans  did  the  best  they  could.  Didn't  they 
begin  to  drive  sharp  bargains  with  the  Indians 
within  a  few  hours  after  they  set  foot  on  shore? 
I've  never  heard  that  you  people  in  the  East 
didn't  keep  a  pretty  sharp  lookout  for  the  gold 
— and  it  didn't  seem  to  make  very  much  differ 
ence  whether  it  happened  to  be  in  the  rocks  or 
in  the  pockets  of  the  other  fellow.  If  you 
waited  long  enough  the  psalm-singer  had  it  in 
his  own  pocket  at  the  end. 

"  No,  sir!  I'm  telling  you  the  truth!  If  do 
ing  hard  things  makes  a  man  or  a  nation  strong, 
then  out  here  on  the  Pacific  coast  the  people 
can  stand  up  and  claim  their  share.  What 
about  Marcus  Whitman  and  his  friends  ?  What 
about  Lewis  and  Clark?  What  of  John  C.  Fre 
mont!  What  about  the  old  Spaniards  that  built 
the  wonderful  old  missions  out  here?  I'm  not 
trying  to  belittle  what  you  people  or  your  an 
cestors  did  in  the  East.  That's  not  it!  What 
I'm  trying  to  show  you  is  that  American  his 
tory  is  not  bounded  on  the  north  by  Concord 
and  Lexington,  on  the  south  by  Plymouth 
Eock,  on  the  east  by  Bunker  Hill,  and  on 
the  west  by  the  Hudson  Eiver  or  the  Con 
necticut." 


30     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

6 '  More !  More !  '  exclaimed  Scott  mock 
ingly,  breaking  in  upon  his  friend's  speech. 

"  No  more.  That's  enough,  isn't  it?  "  re 
torted  Larcum  more  quietly.  i  i  Now,  all  I  want 
is  for  you  fellows  to  tell  me  honestly  just  what 
you  think.  Isn't  what  I  have  been  saying  the 
truth!  " 

"  You'll  have  to  acknowledge,  Larc,"  con 
tinued  John,  who  was  not  minded  to  give  up 
easily  when  his  favorite  topics  were  lightly 
spoken  of,  "  that  the  life  out  here  is  more 
raw." 

"  '  Eaw!  '    What  do  you  mean!  " 

"  Why,  it's  wilder  and  rougher  than  it  is  in 
the  East." 

"  Who  says  it  is?  " 

"  Everybody." 

"  Who's  he?    I  don't  know  what  you  mean." 

"  Why,  your  trains  are  sometimes  held  up 
by  train-robbers " 

i '  Wait  a  minute !  Did  any  of  you  fellows 
read  the  account  in  the  papers  only  last  month 
of  two  men  who  held  up  a  fast  express  train 
right  in  old  Pennsylvania?  ' 

"  We  did!  We  did!  "  responded  Lee  glee 
fully.  "  And,  according  to  the  latest  reports, 
they  both  got  away,  too;  and  neither  of  them 


AN  UNEXPECTED  STOP  31 

has  been  caught.    Oh,  yes,  we've  read  of  that, 
Larc.    You're  right." 

6 1  Well,  train-robbers  and  smallpox  are  not 
bounded  by  geographical  lines,  are  they?  ' 

"  Oh,  that  hold-up  was  something  very  un 
usual,'7  said  John  calmly. 

1 '  It  was,  was  it?  Well,  how  many  times  have 
you  been  robbed  on  the  train  since  you  left 
Boston?  " 

"  Every  time  Jack  goes  into  the  diner  he 
groans  as  he  thinks  how  he  is  being  '  robbed,'  ' 
said  Lee.  "  I've  heard  him  groan.  When  the 
porter  removes  from  the  Bostonian's  hat  or 
coat  any  superfluous  portions  of  the  region 
through  which  the  train  has  been  passing,  Jack 
groans  again,  and  then  some " 

"  What's  this?  "  interrupted  Scott.  "  What 
are  we  stopping  here  for?  We're  right  out  in 
the  country." 

"  Train  robbery,  probably,"  suggested  Lar- 
cum  sarcastically. 

"  I  wouldn't  feel  bad  if  we  did  have  a 
hold-up,"  said  Scott.  "  I'd  like  to  see  what 
one  is  like." 

The  train  had  come  to  a  standstill,  but  not 
one  of  the  boys  gave  it  any  thought  until  the 
waiter  abruptly  came  and  said,  in  a  shaking 


32     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

voice,  ' l  We  sure  is  held  up !    De  trainman  done 
say  so." 

For  an  instant  the  four  boys  stared  blankly 
at  one  another,  and  then,  moved  by  a  common 
impulse,  all  leaped  to  their  feet  and  started 
swiftly  for  the  door  of  the  car. 


CHAPTEE  III 

THE   EXCITEMENT   AMONG  THE   PASSENGERS 

INCREDIBLE  as  the  report  of  the  frightened 
negro  at  first  appeared  to  be,  the  four  boys 
had  not  leaped  to  the  ground  before  they  found 
his  words  confirmed.  A  dozen  or  more  men 
from  the  train  were  ahead  of  the  young  trav 
elers  and  all  were  running  swiftly  toward  the 
locomotive. 

* '  Come  on !  Come  on,  fellows !  ' '  shouted 
Larcum,  as  he  instantly  turned  to  follow  the 
excited  passengers. 

Following  his  example,  the  three  boys  ran 
swiftly  after  their  huge  companion,  who  speed 
ily  overtook  the  men  in  front  of  him.  Appar 
ently  every  one  was  strongly  aroused,  and  the 
daring  of  the  train-robbers,  who  had  held  up  a 
train  in  broad  daylight  and  so  near  the  great 
cities,  had  awakened  a  determination  on  the 
part  of  the  passengers  to  resist  their  attempts. 
No  one  seemed  to  be  aware  how  many  were  in 
the  band  nor  where  the  robbers  were.  The 


34     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

throbbing  of  the  locomotive  was  distinctly 
heard,  and  near  the  mail-cars  several  men  were 
seen,  but  their  actions  were  so  quiet  that  it 
did  not  seem  possible  they  could  be  the  ones 
who  had  stopped  the  long  train  and  threatened 
its  passengers. 

Suddenly  the  running  passengers  stopped 
as  a  pistol  was  fired  twice  by  some  one  near  the 
locomotive.  No  one  was  hurt,  but  the  warning 
was  abruptly  heeded.  A  man,  at  that  moment, 
stepped  forward  from  the  little  group  near  the 
mail-car  and  pointed  his  pistol  directly  at  the 
band  of  passengers  and  at  the  same  time 
shouted,  ".Get  back  into  the  cars,  every  one  of 
you!  "  The  unarmed  travelers  hastily  clam 
bered  up  .the  steps  and  every  one  hastily  re- 
entered  the  cars — our  four  boys  being  among 
the  number. 

"  This  is  a  great  note!  "  exclaimed  Larcum 
loudly.  "  Why  don't  we  go  out  there  and  show 
the  villains  what  we  can  do  to  them?  ' 

"  They're  armed,  Larc,  and  we  aren't,"  ex 
plained  John  quietly. 

"  Somebody  must  have  a  gun,"  roared  the 
excited  Larcum,  as  he  turned  to  the  men  in 
the  car.  "  Hasn't  anybody  here  got  a  pistol!  " 
he  shouted. 


,' 


GET   BACK   INTO   THE   CARS,    EVFRY   ONE   OF  YOU !  "-Page  34. 


EXCITEMENT  AMONG  PASSENGERS    35 

Apparently  no  one  was  in  possession  of  a 
weapon  of  any  kind,  but  the  question  served  to 
increase  the  confusion  among  the  passengers. 
Several  children,  hardly  aware  of  the  cause 
of  the  excitement,  began  to  cry,  and  one  fright 
ened  woman,  seizing  Larcum  by  the  arm,  looked 
up  into  his  face  and  tremblingly  said,  "  Do  you 
think  those  awful  men  will  scalp  us?  ' 

"  No,  I  don't,"  replied  the  young  giant,  some 
what  gruffly. 

"  Do  you  think  they  will  rob  us?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  madam,"  said  Larcum,  not 
unkindly.  "  I  wish  I  knew  how  many  of  the 
rascals  there  are.  If  we  had  a  popgun  we  could 
drive  them  off !  " 

"  Don't  you  make  any  mistake,  young  man," 
said  an  old  gentleman,  standing  in  the  aisle,  to 
Larcum.  "  You're  safe  now,  and  you'd  better 
stay  so.  These  robbers  are  armed;  they're  pre 
pared  for  this  very  thing  and  they're  desperate. 
You'd  better  not  fight  them.  If  you  do,  you'll 
get  the  wrong  end  of  the  contest." 

"  But  I  can't  stand  this!  "  roared  Larcum. 
"  Why,  they've  shut  us  in  here  as  if  we  were 
a  lot  of  sheep  in  a  pen!  " 

"  Better  that  than  to  be  lying  out  on  the 
ground  with  a  bullet  in  your  head,"  suggested 


36     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

the  old  gentleman.  "I'm  an  older  man  than 
you  are,  and  I'm  convinced  that  '  a  live  dog 
is  better  than  a  dead  lion.' 

"  Oh,  do  you  think  these  terrible  men  will 
come  through  the  tram?  "  tearfully  began  the 
woman  who  before  had  spoken.  "  I've  heard 
that  they  go  through  the  cars  and  tear  the  rings 
from  the  fingers  of  the  women  and  shoot  any 
one  who  refuses  to  give  up  his  valuables.  Is 
that  true?  Do  you  think  they'll  treat  us  in 
that  way?  " 

"  No,  madam,  I  don't,"  said  the  old  man 
kindly. 

"  I  guess  they  won't  as  long  as  some  of  us 
are  able  to  put  up  a  fight,"  added  Larcum. 
"  Though  it  doesn't  look  very  much  that  way 
now,"  he  added,  as  he  glanced  over  the  terri 
fied  passengers.  Some  were  weeping,  some 
were  plainly  badly  frightened,  while  others  were 
hesitating  as  to  what  they  should  do  under 
the  circumstances.  To  have  been  quietly  or 
dered  back  into  the  cars,  without  even  an 
attempt  to  drive  the  desperadoes  away,  assur 
edly  did  not  commend  itself  to  some  of  the 
men  as  the  bravest  or  even  as  the  wisest 
course. 

"I'm  going  to  see  what  those  fellows  are 


EXCITEMENT  AMONG  PASSENGERS    37 

doing,  anyway,"  growled  Larcum,  as  lie  started 
once  more  toward  the  door. 

"Hold  on,  Larc!  Don't  be  foolish,"  pro 
tested  Lee.  "  If  the  gang  comes  in  here  we'll 
put  up  a  fight,  but  if  they  don't  we'd  better 
not  provoke  one.  It's  all  right  for  us  to  defend 
ourselves  and  try  to  protect  the  women  and 
children,  but  only  a  candidate  for  an  idiot 
asylum  would  go  out  and  stir  those  men  up.  I 
don't  believe  they'll  come  in  here,  anyway." 

"  Neither  do  I,"  joined  in  the  old  gentleman. 
"  Those  men  aren't  the  kind  that  used  to  hold 
up  the  overland  coaches  and  rob  the  passen 
gers." 

16  What  kind  are  they?  "  growled  Larcum. 

"  They  won't  disturb  the  passengers." 

"Why  not?  " 

"  They  haven't  time.  Besides,  that  game  is 
too  small." 

' '  What  are  they  holding  us  up  for,  then  1  ' 

"  I  fancy  you'll  find  the  trouble  in  the  ex 
press-cars.  That  is  where  the  valuables  are 
kept,  you  know.  These  desperadoes  can  secure 
the  express  matter  and  get  away  without  losing 
much  time.  Very  likely,  too,  they  knew  just 
what  was  being  shipped  by  express." 

"  There  isn't  an  express  car  on  this  train," 


38    FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

said  a  man,  who  was  standing  near  the  four 
boys. 

11  Are  you  sure?  "  demanded  Larcum. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Then  the  robbers  are  not  after  express 
matter.  Maybe  that  means  that  they'll  come 
through  the  train  and  compel  the  passengers  to 
disgorge,"  suggested  the  young  giant. 

"  No,  I  think  not." 

"I'm  going  to  see  what  they're  doing,  any 
way,"  roared  Larcum. 

Disregarding  the  protests  of  his  friends,  the 
young  giant  made  his  way  to  the  end  of  the  car 
and  passed  out  upon  the  platform. 

"  We  must  look  after  him  or  he'll  get  into 
trouble,"  said  Scott  sharply,  as,  leaving  the 
other  boys,  he  hastened  to  join  Larcum,  who, 
he  found  was  not  so  reckless  as  his  words  had 
implied.  He  was  leaning  out  from  the  platform 
and  with  both  hands  was  holding  to  the  rail, 
so  that  only  his  head  was  exposed. 

"  What  are  they  doing,  Larcl  "  asked  Scott 
excitedly. 

"  I  can't  just  see,"  replied  Larcum,  without 
looking  behind  him.  "  There  is  a  big  pile  of 
mail-bags  there  on  the  ground,  but  they  don't 
seem  to  be  paying  any  attention  to  it." 


EXCITEMENT  AMONG  PASSENGERS    39 

"  How  many  robbers  are  there?  " 

"  I  can't  see  but  two." 

"  Two!  " 

"  That's  all.  There's  a  fellow  who  is  keep 
ing  the  engineer  right  in  front  of  him  as  a 
shield;  then  there's  another  one  who  is  busy 
with  the  mail-pouches.  I  can't  see  any  more." 

' '  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  two  men  have  held 
up  this  train?  ' 

"  That's  the  way  it  looks." 

"  If  there  are  only  two,  why  can't  we  creep 
up  along  the  side  of  the  train,  come  around  by 
the  locomotive,  and  get  them  both  before  they 
find  out  what  we  are  up  to  ?  ' 

"I'm  not  for  it,"  said  Larcum  decidedly. 

"  Why  not?  " 

'  <  Because,  in  the  first  place,  something  would 
happen  to  that  engineer  if  we  should  try  any 
such  trick.  The  man  has  him  covered  with  his 
pistol  and,  if  he's  daring  enough  to  try  that, 
he's  daring  enough  to  do  the  rest.  No,  we'll 
have  to  wait.  If  the  villains  don't  come  through 
the  train,  we  won't  take  any  chances.  There !  ' 
Larcum  added  excitedly.  "  They're  about 
ready  to  start.  They're  leaving  all  the  mail- 
pouches  in  a  heap,  but  they're  having  all 
the  rest  put  back  into  the  mail-car.  The  man 


40     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

with  the  engineer  is  backing  toward  the 
locomotive ' ' 

"  Let  me  see!  "  broke  in  Scott  eagerly,  as 
he  pushed  his  way  down  the  steps,  and,  taking 
a  place  beside  his  friend,  peered  at  the  scene 
before  them. 

"  That's  right,  Larc!  "  he  added.  "  That's 
just  what  the  fellow  is  doing.  He's  getting  into 
the  locomotive  now!  He's  keeping  the  engineer 
right  there,  though.  No  taking  any  chances  for 
him." 

16  They're  off!  They  are  going,  just  as  sure 
as  you're  born!  "  roared  Larcum,  as,  a  moment 
later,  the  locomotive,  to  which  one  of  the  mail- 
cars  was  attached,  freed  from  the  rest  of  the 
train,  started  swiftly  down  the  track. 

With  a  shout  the  two  boys  leaped  to  the 
ground  and  ran  swiftly  toward  the  front  of 
the  train.  Quickly  all  the  men  on  the  train 
joined  them,  and  in  a  brief  time  the  engineer, 
fireman,  mail  clerks,  and  conductor  were  sur 
rounded  by  an  excited  mob,  demanding  to  be 
informed  how  it  all  happened,  and  what  was 
now  to  be  done. 

Leaving  the  engineer  to  explain,  the  con 
ductor  quickly  ordered  one  of  the  trainmen  to 
run  to  the  little  station  in  the  rear,  where  the 


EXCITEMENT  AMONG  PASSENGERS    41 

locomotive  previously  had  stopped  to  take  wa 
ter.  As  the  distance  was  not  more  than  a  mile, 
or  a  mile  and  a  half,  it  was  confidently  believed 
that  the  operator  there  would  be  able  to  send 
word  ahead  not  only  of  the  work  of  the  train- 
robbers,  but  also  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  a 
collision  with  the  express  train  which  was  due 
within  an  hour  from  the  coast. 

Meanwhile  the  engineer,  the  perspiration 
streaming  down  his  face  as  he  spoke,  was  tell 
ing  his  story  to  the  excited  group  before  him. 
'"  We'd  stopped  for  water,  you  know,"  he  was 
saying,  '  '  and  I  hadn  't  a  thought  of  a  hold-up ! 
Why,  I  never  heard  of  one  like  this !  But  what 
I  thought  didn't  make  any  difference  it  seems, 
for  pretty  soon  after  we'd  started  I  happened 
to  look  back  and  there  were  two  young  chaps 
pointing  their  pistols  at  me  and  at  the  fireman. 
Of  course  we  knew  without  any  explanation 
what  they  wanted,  though  we  couldn't  hear 
much  of  what  they  were  saying.  We  were  mak 
ing  up  time,  and  that  always  means  a  little 
more  noise,  you  understand." 

"  How  many  men  were  there?  "  asked  Lar- 
cum. 

"  Two.  They  both  wore  masks,  but  I  could 
see  they  were  young  fellows.  I'd  take  one  of 


42     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

them  to  be  about  twenty-one  and  the  other  was 
twenty-five,  maybe.  Oh,  they  were  doing  it  in 
regulation  dime-novel  style!  They  had  little 
black  masks  that  came  to  their  chins,  and  their 
pistols  were  pearl-handled.  Well,  when  they 
ordered  me  to  stop  the  train,  there  wasn't  any 
thing  else  for  me  to  do,  so  I  did  what  they  told 
me." 

"  Were  they  big  fellows?  " 

"No;  that's  the  joke  of  it  all — if  there  is 
any  joke,"  the  engineer  replied.  "  Neither  one 
of  'em  weighed  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds.  I  thought  it  was  a  joke,  anyway,  until 
I  found  out  it  wasn't.  They  ordered  us  both 
to  point  out  the  express-car,  and,  when  I  told 
them  there  wasn't  any  such  car  on  this  train, 
they  made  us  go  with  them  to  make  sure.  You 
see,  they'd  made  a  mistake  in  the  train — the 
express  matter  comes  on  Number  6,  which 
follows  us.  However,  neither  one  was 
willing  to  give  up,  so  they  decided  to  try  the 
mail-cars.  When  we  stopped  in  front  of  the 
coach,  they  called  out  for  the  clerks  to  open 
the  doors,  but  the  men  wouldn't  do  it  at  first. 
Then  the  older  chap  spoke  quietlike  to  the  other 
fellow  and  told  him  to  bring  the  bag  of  dyna 
mite  sticks.  In  a  minute — it  was  the  smaller 


EXCITEMENT  AMONG  PASSENGERS    43 

fellow  who  brought  the  stuff,  which  they  must 
have  had  with  them  when  they  boarded  the  train 
back  there  by  the  water  tower — I  saw  that  the 
bag  really  was  full  of  dynamite  and  that  both 
the  boys  meant  business.  It  was  my  turn  then, 
so  I  called  out  to  the  clerks  that  they'd  better 
open  up,  for  the  gang  surely  did  mean  busi 
ness.  The  clerks  then  opened  the  doors  and 
began  to  toss  out  the  mail-bags.  One  of  the 
robbers  kept  me  right  in  front  of  him  all  the 
time,  so  that  no  one  dared  to  shoot  at  him,  for 
fear  of  hitting  me. 

"  When  the  rascally  train-robbers  saw  that 
the  clerks  were  only  throwing  out  the  bags  of 
second-class  mail,  they  ordered  them  to  stop 
and  just  put  out  the  registered  mail,  and  to  be 
mighty  sudden  about  it,  too.  The  young  chap 
who  was  the  leader  didn't  speak  very  loud,  and 
he  seemed  to  smile  good-naturedly,  too,  while 
he  was  talking;  but  he  sure  did  mean  business. 
When  they  got  the  nine  sacks  of  registered 
mail,  they  put  them  all  in  one  car,  cut  loose 
from  the  rest  of  the  train,  and  set  out  the  way 
you  saw  them." 

"  They  could  run  a  locomotive,  then,  as  well 
as  they  could  rob  a  train,"  suggested  one  of 
the  men  in  the  assembly. 


44    FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen.  There's  a  big 
chance  for  a  lot  of  trouble.  Hello,  here  comes 
the  conductor,  and,  from  his  looks,  I  guess  he's 
got  something  interesting  to  say  to  us,"  the 
engineer  hastily  added. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ACBOSS  THE   CONTINENT 

REPLYING  to  the  questions  of  the  excited  pas 
sengers,  the  conductor  quietly  explained  that 
word  of  the  daring  hold-up  had  been  sent  to 
several  stations,  and  that  the  offices  in  San 
Francisco  also  had  been  informed  of  the  work 
of  the  train-robbers.  The  absence  of  excite 
ment  from  the  conductor's  manner  served,  in 
a  measure,  to  restore  the  confidence  of  the  peo 
ple,  although  some  of  the  passengers  still  were 
plainly  showing  the  effects  of  the  startling 
experience. 

"  The  men  will  be  taken  soon,"  said  the  con 
ductor.  "  There  isn't  a  chance  for  them  to  get 
away." 

"  What  will  be  done  with  them?  "  inquired 
one  of  the  assembly. 

"  Holding  up  a  train  is  a  capital  offense," 
replied  the  conductor  significantly. 

"  Do  you  suppose  they  knew  that?  " 

"  Whether  they  did  or  not,  they  will  know 

45 


46     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

it  very  soon.  They  were  just  a  couple  of  fool 
ish  boys,  who  probably  had  been  reading  ac 
counts  of  the  deeds  of  some  villains,  and 
thought  it  would  be  a  great  thing  to  imitate 
them.  Now,  if  you  will  all  go  back  to  your 
places,  you'll  do  more  to  help  us  than  you  can 
in  any  other  way.  There  isn't  any  danger, 
and  it  won't  be  but  a  little  while  before 
we  shall  have  a  locomotive  here  and  we'll 
get  into  Oakland  not  more  than  two  hours 
late." 

In  response  to  the  request,  most  of  the  men 
returned  to  their  seats  in  the  cars,  where  the 
alarm  among  the  women  and  children  was  still 
manifest. 

"  Do  you  suppose  they'll  come  back  again?  " 
inquired  a  little  woman,  who  occupied  a  seat 
opposite  that  of  Larcum  and  Lee. 

"  No,  I  don't  think  we'll  hear  of  them  again 
until  we  read  about  their  being  hanged  for 
this  morning's  work,"  said  Larcum  lightly. 
11  Here,"  he  added,  as  he  picked  up  the 
woman's  baby  and  took  the  little  fellow  on  his 
lap.  "  You'll  help  us  fight  off  the  train-rob 
bers  if  they  come  back  again,  won 't  you  1  '  For 
three  days  and  nights  the  tired  little  mother 
had  been  on  the  same  train  with  the  four  boys, 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  47 

her  time  being  divided  between  the  care  of  her 
year-old  boy  and  her  helpless  blind  old  father, 
who  also  was  dependent  upon  her.  The  little 
woman  smiled  as  she  saw  the  young  giant  walk 
down  the  aisle,  holding  the  baby  in  his  arms  as 
if  he  had  been  all  his  life  accustomed  to  the 
care  of  children. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  fellow?  "  asked 
Lee,  as  he  turned  to  his  friends. 

"  Larc  can  make  that  baby  squeal  with  de 
light  just  about  as  easily  as  he  could  wring  the 
neck  of  a  train-robber,  if  he  should  once  get  his 
hands  on  the  rascal,"  said  Scott. 

"  Larc  is  one  of  the  best  fellows  that  ever 
lived,"  said  John  warmly,  as  he  watched  his 
huge  companion. 

"That's  what  he  is!"  joined  in  Scott. 
"  Now  I'm  just  as  willing  as  Larc  is  to  help 
that  little  woman,  but,  if  I  should  hold  out  my 
hands  to  her  baby,  the  little  fellow  would 
scream  so  that  he  could  be  heard  from  one  end 
of  the  train  to  the  other.  What  do  you  sup 
pose  makes  the  difference?  I  don't  understand 
it  myself." 

"I'll  tell  you,  Scott,"  said  Lee  promptly, 
"  It's  this  way:  little  children  and  dogs  know 
a  good  man  instinctively.  They  can  tell  him 


48     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

just  as  soon  as  they  see  him.  Now,  if  they  can 
recognize  a  good  man  just  as  soon  as  they  see 
him,  the  natural  inference — oh,  well,  I'll  let  you 
draw  the  inference  yourself,"  he  added,  with 
a  laugh. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Scott  derisively.  "  Now 
you  know " 

"  Hold  on,  Scott!  "  interrupted  John.  "  If 
I'm  not  mistaken,  that's  the  whistle  of  our  new 
locomotive.  We  '11  be  moving  out  of  this  region 
pretty  soon  now." 

The  scream  of  the  approaching  locomotive 
had  been  heard  by  others  also,  and  in  a  mo 
ment  Larcum  rejoined  his  companions,  placed 
the  baby  in  its  mother's  arms,  and  hastened 
after  the  boys,  who  were  all  rushing  to  the 
platform.  There  John's  surmise  proved  to 
be  correct,  and  in  a  brief  time  the  train 
once  more  was  moving  toward  its  destina 
tion. 

"  It's  strange  how  soon  an  excitement  like 
that  we  had  an  hour  ago  dies  down,"  said  John, 
when  he  and  his  friends  once  more  were  in  their 
accustomed  seats.  "  Now,  if  any  one  had  told 
us  before  we  started  that  we  were  to  be  on  a 
train  which  would  be  held  up  by  train-robbers, 
and  that  seventy-five  minutes  afterward  we'd 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  49 

be  moving  as  quietly  on  our  way  as  if  nothing 
unusual  had  occurred,  not  one  of  us  would  have 
believed  it." 

"  Correct,"  assented  Scott.  "  But  we're  all 
keeping  up  a  deal  of  thinking." 

"  About  what?  " 

"  The  train-robbers." 

"  I'll  tell  you,  fellows,  what  we  ought  to  do," 
suggested  Larcum.  "  There  isn't  any  doubt 
that  there'll  be  a  big  reward  offered  for  the 
train-robbers ' ' 

"  And  we  ought  to  get  it!  "  broke  in  Scott 
with  a  laugh. 

11  Precisely." 

"  Just  tell  us  how,"  said  Lee. 

"  That'll  depend — but  it  can  be  done.  Now, 
here's  Jack,"  Larcum  added,  as  he  placed  his 
hand  on  his  friend's  shoulder.  "  There  isn't 
anything  in  the  heavens  above  or  earth  beneath 
that  he  can't  set  right.  He  comes  from  Boston, 
you  understand,  and  he  seems  to  think  that  is 
all  that  is  required  to  let  him  straighten  out  all 
the  tangles  of  the  universe." 

"  There's  one  thing  your  true-blue  son  of 
Boston  can't  do,"  said  Scott,  in  mock  serious 
ness. 

"  What's  that?    I  have  never  yet  heard  of 


50     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

anything,"  declared  Larcum,  as  his  friends 
laughed. 

"  He  can't  settle  the  affairs  of  Boston  or  of 
the  native  Bostonian." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that?  "  John  asked, 
so  abruptly  that  the  boys  all  laughed  aloud. 

"  Jack,"  responded  Scott,  "  you  can  trans 
late  almost  any  sentence  from  Latin,  Greek, 
French,  German,  Pigeon  English,  or  Hog  Latin, 
can't  you?  " 

"  That's  what  you  say." 

' '  "Well,  if  you  can 't  translate  that  plain  Eng 
lish  sentence,  then  I'm  afraid  I  can't  help  you 
very  much,"  said  Scott,  his  eyes  twinkling. 

"I'm  afraid  I  can't  do  it." 

"  I'll  help  you,  Jack,"  broke  in  Larcum. 
"  As  I  understand  Scott,  what  he  meant  was 
that  you  could  tell  the  slave-owners  what  to 
do  with  their  slaves.  You  could,  through  timid, 
modest,  shrinking  John  Adams  and  a  few  oth 
ers  like  him,  tell  all  the  people  of  America  how 
they  ought  to  behave.  You  could  give  sug 
gestions  to  librarians  and  lawyers,  baseball 
players  and  balloonists,  colleges  and  country 
men,  but  somehow  you  don't  appear  to  be  quite 
able  to " 

"  You  know  as  well  as  I  do,  Larc  Brown, 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  51 

that  Boston  is  a  better  authority  on  culture 
than  it  is  on  pork-packing. " 

"  Yes,  I  know  it  is  so — in  Boston,"  broke  in 
Larcum. 

"  We  can't  do  much  more  than  give  good  ad 
vice,  "  began  John. 

"  Correct." 

"  We  can't  do  very  much  more  than  give 
good  advice,"  repeated  John.  "  If  others  don't 
know  enough  to  follow  it — that  isn't  our  fault, 
is  it?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  acknowledged  Larcum 
drolly.  "  Jack,  did  you  find  out  just  what 
Scott  meant  when  he  referred  to  the  one  thing 
the  true  Bostonian  couldn't  do?  " 

"  No.    What  was  it?  " 

"  I  fawncy  the  gentleman  from  New  York, 
in  his  reference  to  all  the  benefits  which  have 
come  to  these  United  States  of  America  via 
Boston,  implied  that  in  the  midst  of  the  pro 
found  and  profuse  discrimination  of  the  specific 
duties  of  all  other  peoples  and  kindred  and 
tongues  and  tribes  that  there  was  a  bare  possi 
bility  that  this  far-reaching  native  Bostonian 
failed  to  recognize  the  painful  deficiency  which, 
to  others,  is  all  too  manifest,  is  his  capacity  to 
recognize  the  problems  or  find  their  proper  solu- 


52     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

tion  in  so  far  and  inasmuch  as  they  apper 
tained  to  the  Bostonian's  proper  and  native 
lair.  You  comprehend  the  correlation  of  the 
consecutive  consecution  of  my  concise  and  con 
trite  contribution  to  the  colossal  confidence 
of " 

"Perfectly!  Perfectly!  "  broke  in  John, 
with  a  laugh  as  his  huge  friend  was  not  able 
to  complete  his  sentence.  "  What  you  infer  is 
that  we  good  people  of  Boston  spend  too  much 
time  on  the  troubles  and  problems  of  other 
people  and  don't  mind  our  own  business  as  we 
ought. " 

"  Magnificent!  "  ejaculated  Larcum.  "  How 
terse !  Notice  how  concisely  the  truth  is  stated. 
That  is  precisely  what  I  meant." 

"  Only  you've  got  it  slightly  mixed  with 
what  we  term  unselfishness,"  said  John. 

"  There's  our  mail-car!  "  broke  in  Lee,  as 
he  pointed  to  a  car  on  a  side-track  by  which 
the  train  now  was  passing. 

66  Does  look  like  it,"  said  Scott  excitedly,  as 
the  four  boys  stood  up  and  peered  out  of  the 
car  window. 

"  Where's  the  locomotive,  if  that  is  our 
car?  "  asked  John. 

"  We  may  see  that  later,"  replied  Lee. 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  53 

"  Where  are  the  train-robbers!"  inquired 
John. 

"  That,  my  friend,  is  the  very  problem  to 
which  I  want  you  to  turn  your  massively  confi 
dent  Bostonian  intellect,"  retorted  Larcum. 
' '  You,  who  can  tell  all  the  rest  of  us  how  to  do 
it;  you,  who  mastered  so  easily  the  number  of 
parasangs  which  Clearchus  marched  in  a  day's 
journey;  you,  who  solved  without  the  slightest 
difficulty  into  how  many  parts  all  Gaul  was 
divided,  must  now  give  the  benighted  people  of 
the  Far  West,  and  eke  also  and  besides,  the 
sadly  perplexed  officials  of  the  road,  the  bene 
fit  of  all  your  classical  lore  and  your  disciplined 
mind.  Just  find  these  two  train-robbers,  Jack, 
and  I'll  own  up  that  your  Latin  and  Greek 
pay." 

11  You  won't  object  to  taking  a  share  of  the 
reward,  will  you,  Larc?  "  laughed  John. 

"  No,  sir.  That's  where  my  training  comes 
in,"  said  Larcum  soberly,  as  his  friends 
laughed. 

"  There's  our  locomotive,  fellows!  "  sud 
denly  exclaimed  Scott,  as  he  pointed  to  a  loco 
motive  that  had  been  overturned  and  was  lying 
near  the  track.  Instantly  there  was  a  rush  to 
the  side  of  the  car  from  which  the  sight  could 


54     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

be  seen.  Steam  was  still  escaping  from  the 
broken  engine.  The  half-dozen  men  who  were 
standing  near  the  helpless  mass  waved  their 
hands  and  shouted  to  the  passengers  as  the 
train  slowly  passed. 

On  the  same  siding  where  the  locomotive  had 
been  derailed  a  long  passenger  train  also  was 
standing,  and  the  noisy  greetings  of  its  inmates 
were  returned  in  kind  as  the  "  robber  train  " 
slowly  drew  past  it. 

"  Larc,"  inquired  John,  "  why  was  that  en 
gine  turned  over  like  that!  ' 

"  I  have  received  no  definite  information," 
replied  Larcum, l '  but  I  suspect  the  station-men 
here,  after  they  received  word  of  the  robbery 
and  that  the  robbers  had  run  away  with  the 
engine  and  a  mail-car,  got  ready  to  l  throw  '  the 
locomotive,  so  that  this  other  passenger  train 
would  not  run  into  it.  You  know,  there  are 
people  who  seriously  object  to  a  collision 
between  a  runaway  locomotive  and  their 
train." 

"  But  the  train-robbers  were  on  this  loco 
motive,"  persisted  John. 

"  Jack,"  said  Larcum  soberly,  "  do  you 
really  believe  that  *  thence  Clearchus  marched 
fourteen  parasangs  '?  " 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  55 

"  Yes,  but  what  has  that  to  do  with  these 
train-robbers  or  this  locomotive!  ' 

li  Well,  if  you  believe  that  about  the  para- 
sangs  and  Clearchus,  how  can  you  believe  the 
robbers  would  stay  on  the  engine  and  be 
caught?  " 

"  Didn't  they  stay?  " 

"  I  haven't  received  any  definite  word  from 
them,  Jack,  but  my  impression  is  that,  after 
they'd  run  the  car  two  or  three  miles  ahead, 
they  cut  loose  from  the  locomotive  and  sent 
that  on  ahead  as  a  wildcat,  while  they  looted 
the  mail-bags." 

"  But  they  must  have  known  there  might 
be  a  collision  if  they  sent  the  locomotive  ahead 
at  full  speed." 

"  Splendid!  After  this  I  shall  never  ques 
tion  the  value  of  studying  the  dead  lan 
guages,  Jack,"  laughed  Larcum.  "  You  have 
struck  the  nail  on  the  head,  and  the  first 
time!  " 

"  But  they  must  have  thought  of  that,"  per 
sisted  John. 

"  That's  just  what  they  did  think.  The  vil 
lains  must  have  believed  that,  if  there  should 
be  a  collision,  their  own  chances  of  getting 
away  would  be  much  better.  I'm  telling  you 


56     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

that  California  is  right — hanging  is  too  good 
for  such  men!  I  hope  they'll  be  caught!  ' 

"  The  conductor  said  they  would  be." 

"  Yes,  I  know  he  did." 

"  Don't  you  think  they  will?  " 

' '  I  told  you  I  hoped  they  would.  Here  comes 
the  porter — we  must  be  near  Oakland.  Let's 
get  our  belongings  together." 

The  suggestion  was  at  once  acted  upon  by 
the  four  boys,  and,  not  long  afterward,  the  long 
journey  across  the  continent  was  completed 
when  the  young  travelers  departed  from  the 
train  in  the  huge  station  at  Oakland  and  made 
their  way  to  the  ferryboat,  on  which  they  were 
to  cross  the  bay  to  San  Francisco. 

"  Why,  these  ferryboats  are  quite  large, 
aren't  they?  "  said  Jack. 

"  '  0  temporal  0  mores!  '  and  all  the  rest," 
snapped  Larcum.  ' '  .Don't  you  know  there  isn't 
a  ferryboat  in  New  York  or  Boston  harbor  as 
large  as  the.se  are?  l  Quite  large!  '  Oh,  Jack, 
what  shall  I  do  with  you?  Hello!  "  Larcum 
quickly  added.  "  Look  at  that !  "  As  he  spoke, 
the  young  giant  pointed  to  a  flaring  headline  in 
a  newspaper  that  was  in  the  hands  of  a  young 
man  near  the  boys.  "  That  is  something  for 
us!  We  must  not  lose  that." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   INTERVIEW 

WITH  great  flaring  headlines  the  story  of  the 
train  robbery,  which  had  occurred  only  a  few 
hours  before,  was  now  facing  the  boys  from 
a  newspaper  held  in  the  hands  of  a  man  who 
was  standing  near  them. 

"  I  must  get  a  paper  somewhere !  "  exclaimed 
Scott,  as  he  turned  hastily  from  his  compan 
ions.  In  a  brief  time  he  returned,  and,  as  the 
four  boys  withdrew  to  a  more  secluded  spot  on 
the  deck,  he  read  aloud  the  thrilling  account 
of  the  daring  robbery  of  the  morning. 

"  Posses  are  already  searching  for  the  rob 
bers,  are  they!  "  asked  Larcum,  when  the  sen 
sational  account  had  been  read. 

"  Yes,  that's  what  the  report  is,"  replied 
Scott.  "  They  seem  to  think  the  robbers  can't 
be  very  far  from  the  place  where  they  held  us 
up." 

"  They'll  be  caught  soon,"  said  John  confi 
dently.  "  The  conductor  said  they  would." 

57 


58     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

11  I  wish  we  might  get  them,"  suggested  Lar- 
cum.  "  What  is  the  reward  which  the  rail 
way  people  offered?  " 

"  Five  thousand  dollars. " 

"I'm  afraid  the  size  of  the  reward  doesn't 
look  very  much  as  if  they  were  sure  they  would 
run  the  rascals  to  cover.  I  wish  we  could  get 
that  reward." 

"I'm  satisfied  without  it,"  said  John.  "I'd 
rather  have  them  leave  me  alone  than  get  the 
reward  if  we  had  to  get  into  their  clutches." 

"I'd  like  to  chance  that  part  of  it,"  declared 
Larcum  lightly.  "  Well,  we've  had  an  experi 
ence  anyway.  It  isn't  often  a  man  has  the 
chance  to  tell  of  his  experience  in  a  train 
robbery. ' ' 

"It's  like  having  the  smallpox — once  is  just 
one  too  many,"  said  Scott. 

"  We  didn't  suffer,  anyway,"  suggested  Lee. 
"  We  can't  complain." 

"  Yes,  but  I  want  to  help  get  the  villains," 
said  Larcum.  "  I  wish  Jack  would  focus  all 
his  mental  powers  on  such  a  problem  as  that 
is.  There's  more  sense  in  trying  to  catch 
thieves  than  there  is  in  trying  to  work  out  the 
distance  of  the  earth  from  the  nearest  planet. 
What  difference  does  the  distance  make,  any- 


THE  INTERVIEW  59 

way?  Suppose  we  did  know  just  how  many 
miles  we  are  from  our  neighbors,  it  wouldn  't  af 
fect  us,  would  it?  There 'd  be  just  as  many 
hours  as  ever  that  I'd  have  to  devote  to  the 
relations  between  Larcum  Brown  and  the  T. 
G.  &  P.  Railroad." 

"  We'll  get  Jack  to  solve  the  problem  of  how 
the  train-robbers  are  to  be  caught,  but  don't 
forget  to  take  in  that  sight  of  San  Francisco 
and  this  wonderful  bay,"  said  Lee. 

Diverted  by  the  suggestion,  all  four  boys 
turned  to  look  at  the  city  they  were  approach 
ing.  Spread  along  the  hillside  and  overlooking 
the  waters  of  the  wonderful  harbor,  with 
stately  buildings  showing  in  the  midst  of  the 
verdure,  with  the  sunlight  streaming  over  hill 
side  and  harbor  and  over  the  islands  and  high 
lands  behind  them,  the  city  of  St.  Francis  could 
not  fail  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  the  minds 
of  the  four  young  travelers. 

"  Doesn't  seem  possible,  does  it,"  said  Scott, 
"  that  so  many  of  these  great  buildings  could 
have  been  put  up  since  the  earthquake?  ' 

"  San  Francisco  doesn't  talk  of  the  earth 
quake,  ' '  suggested  Larcum.  ' i  Some  of  the  peo 
ple  may  refer  to  the  '  fire. '  They  say  the  quake 
didn't  amount  to  so  very  much,  and  no  one 


60     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

would  have  paid  very  much  attention  to  it  if 
it  hadn't  happened  to  twist  the  water  mains  so 
that,  when  the  fire  broke  out,  the  firemen 
couldn't  get  water  with  which  to  fight  the  fire." 

"  Fire  does  play  havoc  with  a  city,  do.esn't 
it?  "  suggested  John.  "  If  I  remember  aright, 
Chicago  had  one  or  two  fires.  The  big  fire  was 
started  by  a  woman — or  was  it  a  cow — over 
turning  a  lantern  in  or  near  the  mayor's  of 
fice?  Isn't  that  right,  Larc?  " 

11  Eight  enough,"  growled  the  young  giant. 
"  Boston  had  a  fire,  too,  didn't  it?  The  town 
was  as  dry  as  punk,  and,  when  it  got  going, 
nothing  would  or  could  stop  it  for  a  while." 

"  Quit  your  quarreling  over  your  towns," 
remonstrated  Scott.  "  You're  too  far  from 
home  for  that.  Besides,  you  don't  want  to 
lose  sight  of  this  city.  I  tell  you,  Larc,  if  I 
were  to  come  West  to  stay,  I  wouldn't  stop  off 
at  Chicago.  I'd  keep  straight  on  until  I  came 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean." 

"  You  needn't  stop  there  on  my  account," 
retorted  Larcum. 

"  Oh,  I  sha'n't,"  laughed  Scott.  "  Here  we 
are  at  the  ferry  slip.  I  didn't  know  it  took 
twenty  minutes  to  cross  the  bay." 

"  Indeed !    Well,  you  know  a  little  more  than 


THE  INTERVIEW  61 

you  did  an  hour  ago,  and  there's  some  com 
fort  in  that.  Here  we  go,  fellows!  "  Larcum 
added,  as  he  seized  his  suitcase  and  joined 
the  throng  which  now  was  moving  toward  the 
street. 

"  Fine  ferryhouse,  Larc,"  said  John,  as  he 
walked  beside  his  friend  and  glanced  about  him 
at  the  immense  structure  through  which  great 
throngs  of  men  were  now  surging. 

As  Larcum  quietly  assumed  the  leadership, 
his  friends  followed  him  when  he  boarded  a 
trolley  car,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  young 
travelers  had  alighted,  registered  at  the  hotel, 
where  rooms  already  had  been  reserved  by  tele 
graphing  ahead,  and  soon  were  washed  and  in 
their  right  minds,  as  Scott  laughingly  described 
their  condition. 

"  Pretty  good  hotel;  eh,  Larc?  "  suggested 
Scott,  when  the  four  boys  were  assembled  in 
the  dining-room  for  their  luncheon. 

"  Pretty  good?  There  isn't  a  better  in  the 
country,'7  retorted  Larcum. 

"  It  is  quite  remarkable,"  assented  Scott  so 
berly.  "  One  would  hardly  expect  to  find  such 
a  well-kept  hostelry  so  far  away." 

"  So  far  away  from  what!  "  demanded  Lar 
cum  sharply. 


62     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"Why,  so  far  from — New  York,"  retorted 
Scott,  winking  at  Lee  as  he  spoke. 

"Scott  Gordon!"  began  Larcum,  "I'll 
have  to  get  some  of 

'  *  Pardon  me,  but  may  I  inquire  if  you  young 
gentlemen  were  on  the  train  that  was  held  up 
this  morning?  ' 

As  the  four  boys  looked  up  at  the  interrup 
tion  they  saw  a  young  man  not  much  older 
than  they,  who  was  standing  beside  their  table. 

"  Yes,  we  happened  to  be  on  the  train,"  as 
sented  John. 

"  If  you  do  not  object,  I  should  be  glad  if 
you  would  give  me  your  account  of  it.  I  am 
a  reporter  from  the  -  "  he  added,  as  he  drew 
a  notebook  and  pencil  from  his  pocket,  and, 
without  waiting  to  be  invited,  beckoned  to  the 
waiter  for  an  additional  chair  to  be  brought, 
in  which  he  at  once  seated  himself  and  drew 
more  closely  to  the  table. 

' l  Now,  then"  he  began, ' '  what  I  want  is  your 
own  account  as  eye-witnesses  of  what  oc 
curred.  ' ' 

"  We  can't  give  you  anything  more  than  the 
papers  already  have,"  said  Larcum,  who  by 
common  consent  at  once  became  the  spokesman 
of  the  party. 


THE  INTERVIEW  63 

"  Give  me  your  own  experiences. " 

"  We  didn't  have  any.  The  villains  drove 
every  passenger  back  into  the  cars." 

«  There  were  only  two  of  the  robbers.  Do 
you  mean  to  tell  me  that  not  a  man  on  the  train 
dared  to  stand  against  them?  " 

"  That's  it,"  said  Larcum  dryly. 

"  You  certainly  were  a  brave  lot,"  laughed 
the  reporter. 

"  Any  man  can  be  brave — when  he  isn't  look 
ing  into  the  pistol  of  a  low-lived  villain.  They'll 
both  get  what  they  deserve!  "  Larcum  added 
angrily. 

11  When?  " 

"  When  they  are  caught." 

"  And  just  when  will  that  be?  "  asked  the 
reporter  quizzically. 

"  Some  of  the  posses  will  run  them  down." 

"  Then  the  train-robbers  are  in  the  hills,  are 
they?  " 

"  You'll  have  to  ask  the  sheriff.  We  aren't 
chasing  the  rascals." 

1 '  Would  you  recognize  them  if  you  should 
see  them?  " 

"We  might." 

"  Describe  them  to  me." 

"  They  were  both  young  fellows — and  very 


64     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

likely  had  been  reading  up  on  dime  novels. 
That  was  about  their  intellectual  measure." 

"  They  were  villainous-looking  fellows,  you 
say?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  they  looked  like  villains;  I  said 
they  were  villains.  They  couldn't  have  been 
very  smart  or  they  would  have  known  what  sen 
tence  a  train-robber  in  California  gets.  Be 
sides,  the  fools  made  a  mistake  in  the  train — 
they  didn't  know  the  difference  between  a  mail- 
car  and  an  express-car.  That  of  itself  shows 
how  much  they  knew.  They  haven't  brains 
enough  to  keep  out  of  the  hands  of  the  parties 
that  are  searching  for  them." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  laughed  the  reporter, 
"  that  two  such  young  fellows  as  you  describe, 
who  have  the  nerve  to  hold  up  a  whole  train 
and  drive  off  every  man  that  tried  to  get  near 
them,  aren't  going  to  lose  their  heads  when  they 
are  being  chased.  Don't  you  think  so?  " 

"  No,  I  don't,"  said  Larcum  sharply.  "  They 
don't  stand  the  ghost  of  a  chance  of  getting 
away!  " 

"  Not  even  if  they  make  for  the  canons?  " 

11  No,  sir." 

"  Well,  from  what  I  saw  of  the  place,  I'd 
rather  take  my  chances  with  them  of  not  being 


TEE  INTERVIEW  65 

caught  than  of  any  man  in  the  searching  parties 
of  ever  spending  any  of  that  reward  which  has 
been  offered  for  their  capture.  Of  course  that 
is  merely  a  matter  of  opinion.  Now,  then,  if 
you  will  answer  a  few  questions,  I'll  not  trouble 
you  any  more." 

"  Go  ahead." 

"  Could  you  describe  the  robbers?  " 

"  Not  very  fully." 

"  Would  you  be  able  to  identify  them?  " 

' '  I  am  not  sure,  though  I  think  I  could.  The 
bigger  one  was  about  your  size " 

"  Sure  I  am  not  the  man  myself?  "  inter 
rupted  the  reporter,  with  a  laugh. 

"  No,  I  am  not  sure." 

"  Any  others  of  the  passengers  able  to  iden 
tify  the  robbers?  " 

"  Probably  we  saw  as  much  of  them  as  any 
one  did,  except  the  engineer  and  fireman." 

"  And  yet  you  are  not  certain  enough  about 
it  yourselves  to  say  that  I  was  not  one  of  them." 

' '  In  height,  weight,  size,  and  nerve  you  might 
pass.  If  you'll  slip  a  black  mask  on  for  a  min 
ute,  we'll  be  more  sure." 

"  Sorry  I  haven't  one  with  me,"  laughed 
the  reporter.  "  I  must  be  going  on  to  inter 
view  some  more  of  the  passengers.  A  good 


66     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

many  of  them  are  stopping  at  this  hotel.  Thank 
you  for  the  information  you  have  given  me, ' '  he 
added,  as  he  arose  and  at  once  left  the  table. 

"  We  didn't  give  him  any  information, 
Larc,"  suggested  John. 

"  He  acted  as  if  he  thought  he  had  a 
'  scoop,'  ; '  said  John. 

"  What  is  a  '  scoop  '?  " 

"  It's  an  expression  a  newspaper  reporter 
uses  when  he  finds  a  '  story  '  before  any  of  his 
rivals  get  hold  of  it,"  explained  John.  "  This 
fellow  certainly  was  on  the  ground  early.  He'd 
been  out  to  the  place  where  the  hold-up  took 
place.  How  do  you  think  he  did  that?  " 

"  Oh,  the  newspapers  have  all  sorts  of  ways 
of  getting  the  news,"  said  Larcum. 

"  You  don't  suppose  this  chap  could  have 
been  right  on  the  ground,  do  you?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Jack?  "  demanded  Lar 
cum  quickly. 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  mean  anything." 

"  You  aren't  suggesting  that  this  reporter 
might  have  been " 

"  I'm  not  suggesting  anything,  I  tell  you!  " 
interrupted  John.  "All  I  said  was  that  he 
was  early  on  the  ground,  that's  all.  I  didn't 
think  of  that  until  you  told  him  that  one 


THE  INTERVIEW  67 

of  the  train-robbers  was  about  Ms  size.  And 
he  was,  too,  when  you  come  to  think  of 
it." 

1  i  *  Thence  Clearchus  marched  fourteen  para- 
sangs,'  "  laughed  Larcum.  "  The  discipline  of 
your  mental  powers  by  the  study  of  Greek  will 
lead  you  next  to  charge  me  with  holding  up  our 
train. " 

"  No  danger  of  that,  Larc,"  laughed  Scott. 
"  These  fellows  were  both  smaller  than  you  are 
and  they  had  a  superfluity  of  nerve. " 

"  Humph!  "  retorted  Larcum,  as  his  friends 
laughed.  '  '  They  certainly  did  beat  a  masterly 
retreat  and  that's  something  I  haven't  learned 
to  do— yet." 

"  How  about  that  retreat  of  yours  into  the 
car  along  with  all  the  rest  of  the  passengers, 
Larc?  "  inquired  Scott. 

"  I  wasn't  retreating!  "  retorted  Larcum. 

"  You  withdrew,  then;  call  it  that,"  con 
tinued  Scott.  "  You  withdrew  from  the  scene 
of  battle  in  splendid  array.  You  didn't  lose  a 
flag,  or  a  gun,  or  a  man  in  your  masterly  with 
drawal.  ' ' 

"  Something  else,  too,  that  he  didn't  lose  in 
his  retreat — I  mean  his  withdrawal,"  suggested 
Lee. 


68     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  What  was  that?  '  demanded  Larcum 
sharply. 

"  A  minute,"  retorted  Lee. 

Even  Larcum  was  compelled  to  join  in  the 
laugh  that  greeted  Lee's  words,  but  the  young 
giant,  good-naturedly  changing  the  subject, 
said:  "  Now,  fellows,  we  don't  leave  for  the 
Yosemite  until  half -past  eleven  to-night.  We've 
got  the  whole  afternoon.  What  shall  we  do 
with  it!  " 

11  Got  our  reservations,  Larc?  "  inquired 
Scott. 

"  No;  I'll  get  them  while  you  fellows  are 
deciding  what  we'll  do  this  afternoon." 

The  problem  of  the  four  boys,  however,  was 
solved  for  them,  and  in  a  manner  of  which  they 
had  no  thought. 


CHAPTER  VI 

AN   AUTOMOBILE 

"  MR.  BROWN!  "  called  a  bellboy,  as  the  four 
boys  arose. 

"  That's  you,  Larc,"  suggested  Scott, 
"  There  can't  be  more  than  one  Mr.  Brown 
here.  Even  if  there  were  several,  you  would 
still  be  the  one." 

' '  Mr.  Brown !  Mr.  Brown,  please !  ' '  called 
the  bellboy  once  more,  as  he  came  near  our 
party. 

"  My  name  is  Brown,"  said  Larcum,  as  he 
turned  to  the  boy.  "  Let  me  see  your  mes 
sage." 

As  the  bellboy  stopped  and  held  out  his  let 
ter,  Scott  said  quickly:  "  I  was  right,  Larc,  it's 
for  Mr.  Larcum  Brown.  There's  only  one  of 
the  kind." 

Unmindful  of  his  friend's  bantering,  Larcum 
hastily  tore  open  the  envelope  and,  ignoring 
the  curiosity  of  the  boys,  slowly  read  the 
letter. 

69 


70     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

"  What  is  it,  Larc?  Why  don't  yon  speak 
up?  "  demanded  Lee. 

"  It  was  for  me/'  said  Larcnm. 

"  Of  course.  We  knew  it  couldn't  be  for  any 
one  else.  But  what  is  the  message!  Is  it  some 
thing  for  you,  or  does  it  concern  us  all?  ' 

' '  Indirectly,  it  may  concern  you — it  certainly 
does  me,"  replied  Larcum. 

"  Well,  what  is  it?  "  said  Scott  impatiently. 

"  It's  a  message." 

"  What  is  the  message?  " 

"  I'm  a  bit  afraid  to  tell  you — just  yet.  I'll 
tell  you,  fellows.  You  all  go  up  to  our  rooms 
and  get  ready  while  I  go  to  the  office  and  make 
our  reservations  for  to-night." 

"  Bother  the  reservations,"  said  Scott  im 
patiently.  "  What  I  want  to  know  is  what  this 
message  is — you  say  it  concerns  us  all.  Let 
the  reservations  take  care  of  themselves!  " 

"  Hear  him!  "  exclaimed  Larcum,  glancing 
in  pretended  surprise  at  Scott.  ' '  Any  one  who 
heard  him  might  think  he  had  never  been  away 
from  home  before.  *  Bother  the  reservations.7 
Don't  you  know,  Scott,  that  the  first  preponder 
ating,  overwhelming  prerequisite  in  successful 
traveling  is  to  have  your  sections  in  the  sleeper 
reserved  for  you?  " 


AN  AUTOMOBILE  71 

"  I  guess  there  won't  be  any  jam  to-night. 
It's  too  early  in  the  season.  If  it  was  August 
now,  instead  of  June,  it  would  be  a  different 
matter. " 

"  I  take  no  chances,"  said  Larcum  soberly. 
"  You  poor  unprotected  and  unsophisticated 
peregrinators  depart  to  the  places  where  you  be 
long,  and  stay  there  till  I  come  back.  I'll  not 
be  gone  long,  but  don't  one  of  you  dare -to  ven 
ture  out  of  the  rooms  until  I  come  back.  Here's 
John,  he  might  get  hit  by  a  trolley  car — he  isn't 
used  to  cars  that  move.  Scott,  now,  might  be 
frightened  if  he  should  find  there  was  any  real 
life  outside  of  New  York;  and  Lee — why,  Lee 
would  be  lost  if  he  got  out  into  the  streets. 
No,  sir;  all  three  of  you  do  just  what  I  say, 
and  when  I  come  back,  if  you  have  been  good 
little  boys,  I'll  have  something  nice  for  you. 
Now  do  what  I  tell  you,"  Larcum  added,  as  he 
took  his  hat  and  departed. 

A  half-hour  later  he  returned  to  the  hotel, 
and  at  once  went  to  his  room,  where  he  found 
Lee  and  John  awaiting  his  return.  ' i  Where  is 
Scott?  "  he  demanded,  as  soon  as  he  entered 
the  room. 

"  Gone,"  said  John. 

"  '  Gone!  '    Where  has  he  gone!  " 


72     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  To  look  for  you,  I  reckon, "  laughed  Lee. 
"  He  thought  you  were  lost." 

"  He  did,  did  he?  Well,  he'll  find  out  who 
is  lost.  Now,  fellows,  come  on,"  he  added,  as 
Jie  turned  to  the  door. 

"  Where  are  we  going,  Larc!  "  asked  John. 

*'  You  are  going  with  me.  IVe  got  our  res 
ervations  all  right,  but,  if  I  hadn't  been  a  rail 
road  man,  I'd  have  had  my  troubles.  There's 
a  crowd  going  out  to  the  Yo  Semite  to-night. 
The  man  told  me  at  first  I  couldn't  have  any 
thing  but  two  upper  berths,  but,  when  he  found 
out  who  I  really  was — why,  the  drawing-room 
wasn't  good  enough." 

"  You  took  it  though,  didn't  you,  Larc?  ' 
laughed  Lee. 

"  I  did.  That  provides  for  three  of  us,  but 
the  fourth  fellow  will  have  to  take  an  upper 
berth.  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do,  fellows," 
Larcum  added  quickly;  "  we'll  draw  lots  for 
the  berths  in  the  drawing-room  and  let  Scott 
have  that  upper  berth.  If  he  had  been  here 
as  he  ought  to  have  been,  and  as  I  told  him  to 
be,  he'd  have  had  his  chance  with  the  rest  of 
us.  Now  we'll  tell  him  the  upper  berth  is  his 
and  we  won't  say  anything  about  our  having 
the  drawing-room  to  ourselves.  You  hear  me?  " 


AN  AUTOMOBILE  73 

"  Verily,"  laughed  Lee.    "  Poor  Scott!  " 

"  If  he'd  pay  attention  to  what  is  told  him, 
he'd  be  all  right,"  said  Larcum.  "I'm  sorry, 
but  he 's  one  of  the  fellows  that  have  to  be  taught 
by  hard  knocks." 

"  Or  by  a  hard  knocker,"  suggested  Lee. 

"  Come  on,"  said  Larcum,  ignoring  Lee's 
words. 

"  All  right,  me  lud,  but  where  do  we  go?  " 

"  I  told  you — with  me." 

Leading  the  way,  Larcum  at  once  went  to 
the  elevator,  and,  when  the  boys  were  in  the 
lobby,  he  left  them  for  a  moment  as  he  went 
to  the  desk  to  leave  a  message.  Quickly  rejoin 
ing  his  friends,  he  said:  "  Come  on.  Here  we 
are,"  he  added,  as  near  the  curb  he  stopped 
in  front  of  a  huge  touring-car. 

"  Where  did  you  get  this,  Larc?  "  said  Lee, 
as  he  and  John  obediently  entered  •  and  took 
their  seats.  "  It  certainly  is  fine." 

"  This  car  belongs  to  a  prominent  railway 
official — a  friend  of  mine,"  explained  Larcum 
soberly.  "As  soon  as  he  heard  that  I  had 
come  to  town,  he  immediately  sent  me  word 
that  his  motor  was  at  my  disposal." 

"  Was  that  the  message  the  bellboy  brought 
you  this  noon?  "  asked  John. 


74     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  70S E MITE 

"  I  cannot  tell  a  lie — it  was." 

"  One  part  of  your  statement  is  true — the 
other  may  be." 

"  Where  is  Scott?  "  said  Lee;  as  he  glanced 
up  and  down  the  street. 

"  Gone  to  learn  his  little  lesson,"  growled 
Larcum. 

"  Are  you  going  without  him?  ' 

"  I  dislike  to  put  it  that  way — the  true  ex 
planation  is  that  Scott,  by  his  impulsive  and 
disingenuous — I  might  say  superabounding — 
conceit  that  there  is  little  for  him  to  learn  out 
side  his  own  native  bailiwick,  has  deprived  us 
of  the  pleasure  of  his  company.  Where  do  we 
go?  '  Larcum  added,  as  he  turned  to  the 
driver. 

"  Anywhere  you  say,  sir.  My  orders  are  to 
show  you  the  city." 

"  Do  so,  then;  do  so,  by  all  means,"  said  Lar 
cum,  as  he  took  his  seat  beside  the  chauffeur. 

Neither  Lee  nor  John  believed  that  their 
friend  really  intended  to  start  without  Scott, 
but  in  a  moment  the  motor  was  off  and  the 
party  was  proceeding  along  Market  Street. 

i '  Hold  on,  Larc !  ' '  exclaimed  Lee,  a  few  min 
utes  later.  "  There 's  Scott!  See  him  in  the 
crowd  there  in  front  of  that  window?  "  As  he 


AN  AUTOMOBILE  75 

spoke,  Lee  pointed  to  a  place  where  a  crowd 
had  assembled  to  watch  a  man  who  was  display 
ing  the  virtues  of  a  new  apparatus  for  exer 
cising  the  muscles  of  the  arms.  Whistling 
shrilly  as  the  motor  slowed  up,  by  the  familiar 
signal  he  caused  Scott  to  turn  about  abruptly 
and  stare  in  astonishment  at  his  friends. 

"  Come  on,  Scott!  "  called  Lee.  "  You  al 
most  got  left." 

"  Where  are  you  going?  "  demanded  Scott, 
as  he  hastily  responded  and  climbed  into  the 
rear  seat  beside  Lee  and  John. 

"  What  were  you  doing?  "  retorted  Larcum. 
"  Standing  there  in  front  of  that  window,  gaz 
ing  at  a  new  exercising  machine  as  if  you  never 
had  been  in  a  city  before !  Why  didn't  you  stay 
where  I  put  you?  " 

"  I  went  out  to  look  you  up.  I  was  afraid 
you'd  be  lost." 

"  That  was  thoughtful  of  you,"  remarked 
Larcum  grimly,  "  but  next  time  you  want  to 
look  out  for  Scott  Gordon.  We  haven't  any 
tune  to  waste  looking  you  up.  What  did  you 
go  out  for,  anyway?  " 

"  Just  to  take  a  little  tramp  on  the  street." 

"  Did  you  take  him?  " 

".Take  whom?  " 


76     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  The  '  little  tramp  '  you  mentioned/' 

"  Let  me  out!  I  can't  stand  this!  "  retorted 
Scott,  rising  from  his  seat. 

"  You'll  have  to  stand  it,  Scott,"  laughed 
Lee,  as  he  pulled  his  friend  back  upon  the  seat 
beside  him.  "  Now  be  good  and  you'll  be 
happy." 

"  More  likely  to  be  lonesome — in  this  crowd," 
said  Scott. 

"  That  isn't  original,  Scott  Gordon,"  said 
Larcum  soberly.  "  I've  heard  that  before. 
Now,  keep  your  eyes  open  and  be  ready  to  see 
things." 

"  But  I  don't  understand  where  you  got  this 
motor,"  began  Scott. 

"  Keep  quiet,"  ordered  Larcum.  "  Let  me 
talk.  It  isn  't  often  I  get  a  chance.  Now  notice 
all  these  magnificent  office  buildings  along 
Market  Street — all  built  since  the  fire.  They 
are  as  imposing  as  any  in  this  broad  land  of 
ours " 

"  Quite  pretty,"  broke  in  Scott,  in  mock  seri 
ousness.  "  Where  did  the  money  to  build  them 
with  come  from?  New  York?  " 

"  The  buildings  are  magnificent,"  continued 
Larcum,  "  but  not  half  as  magnificent  as  the 
courage  of  the  people.  Think  of  it,  fellows! 


AN  AUTOMOBILE  77 

All  this  part  of  San  Francisco  was  burned  at 
the  time  of  the  fire." 

66  You  mean  the  earthquake,  don't  you, 
Larc?  "  asked  Scott. 

•  "  I  mean  the  fire.  You  know  San  Francisco 
was  under  military  rule,  don't  you,  at  that 
time?  Everybody  had  to  stand  in  line  in  the 
bread  line  and  wait  for  his  turn,  it  didn't  make 
any  difference  whether  he  was  rich  or  poor  or 
high  or  low.  My  aunt  was  living  here  at  the 
time.  The  quake  didn't  do  a  great  deal  of  dam 
age  to  the  house  she  was  living  in — they  were 
outside  the  fire  line.  But  she  had  a  stove  set 
up  in  the  street,  and  for  three  months  she  took 
care  of  eighteen  people.  Money  wasn't  any 
good.  You  couldn't  buy  a  thing  with  it." 

"  Not  even  a  ticket  over  the  T.  G.  &  P!  " 
asked  Scott. 

"  No,  sir;  not  a  ticket,  nor  a  loaf  of  bread, 
nor  a  bottle  of  milk.  Everybody  had  to  take 
his  turn.  But  look  at  it  now!  There  isn't  a 
city  in  the  country  that  could  have  shown  such 
nerve!  The  people  didn't  give  up — they  went 
right  at  the  wor£,  cleared  up  the  ruins,  put  up 
new  buildings,  and  to-day,  as  you  look  around, 
you  wouldn't  even  suspect  there  ever  had  been 
a  fire — and  it's  only  five  years." 


78     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

16  It  is  fine,  Scott,"  murmured  Lee. 

"  You're  right  it  is!  Now  we're  going  to 
climb  this  hill  and  you'll  get  a  view  that  will 
make  every  one  of  you  open  his  eyes."  The 
automobile  now  was  beyond  the  crowded,  busy 
streets  and  had  gained  the  summit  of  a  high 
hill,  as  Larcum  had  said.  "  Yonder  is  the  Pa 
cific  Ocean.  Look  across  the  bay !  See  the  hills 
and  the  mountains!  Then  look  down  and  see 
the  city.  Isn't  it  all  wonderful?  " 

Even  Scott  had  no  protest  to  offer  when  the 
magnificent  view  spread  out  before  them. 

"  That's  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  the  blue 
Pacific,"  said  John  enthusiastically,  as  the  car 
sped  on. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it!  " 

"  It's  wonderful,"  said  John,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  I  don't  wonder  that  the  people  here  love  it 
all." 

"  You  haven't  seen  much  yet.  Just  wait!  " 
responded  Larcum. 

Later,  when  their  automobile  carried  them 
through  Golden  Gate  Park,  with  its  miles  of 
drives  and  broad  fields,  its  wonderful  flowers 
and  trees,  its  Japanese  gardens,  art  museums, 
and  winding  walks,  and  over  all  was  the  clear 
sky  and  beyond  them  were  the  shining  waters 


AN  AUTOMOBILE  79 

of  the  broad  Pacific,  the  quiet  enthusiasm  of  the 
boys  was  marked — even  Scott  acknowledging 
that  the  ride  was  "  most  interesting. " 

Now  the  motor  swept  along  the  shore,  where 
crowds  of  people  were  to  be  seen,  and  then 
stopped  at  the  famous  Cliff  House,  where  the 
boys  alighted  and  entered,  taking  their  places 
near  a  window,  from  which  the  jagged  rocks 
near  the  shore  could  be  seen. 

"  Look  yonder!  "  exclaimed  Lee,  in  excite 
ment,  as  he  pointed  to  the  rocks.  "  They're 
alive  as  sure  as  you're  born!  " 

"  They  are  covered  with  seals,"  explained 
Larcum  quietly.  "  Hear  them?  They  are  bark 
ing." 

"  Sounds  to  me  more  like  the  sounds  my 
grandfather  used  to  make  when  he  was  trying 
to  pull  his  boots  on,"  said  Scott. 

"  Quite  likely,"  retorted  Larcum  dryly.  "  I 
suspect  you  take  after  your  grandfather,  don't 
you,  Scott?  " 

In  a  brief  time  the  ride  was  resumed,  and,  as 
the  car  entered  the  Presidio,  the  high,  level 
ground  where  the  United  States  troops  were 
stationed,  Larcum  said  quietly,  * '  Yonder  is  the 
Golden  Gate." 

Instantly  every  boy  turned  to  look  at  the 


80     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

narrow  entrance  to  San  Francisco  Bay.  The 
headlands  on  either  side  were  sharply  defined 
in  the  clear  air,  and  the  glow  of  the  afternoon 
sun  seemed  almost  to  tinge  the  very  waters  of 
the  sea.  The  Golden  Gate!  Far  away  were 
Japan  and  the  Orient  and  the  other  side  of  the 
world. 

For  a  moment  the  four  boys  were  silent  as 
they  all  gazed  at  the  impressive  scene. 

"  That  sight  is  worth  a  journey  across  the 
continent,7'  murmured  John. 

«  There's  our  reporter,"  suddenly  inter 
rupted  Lee,  as  he  pointed  to  a  man  who  was 
standing  near  the  place  where  the  motor  stopped 
and  was  looking  intently  at  the  four  boys. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   START   FOR  THE   YOSEMITE 

"  I  DON'T  like  that  fellow,"  said  Larcum,  in 
a  low  voice,  as  the  boys  all  looked  at  the 
young  man  to  whom  Lee  had  directed  their 
attention. 

"  What's  the  trouble  with  him!  "  laughed 
Scott.  "  You  acted  this  noon  as  if  you  sus 
pected  him  of  being  one  of  the  train-robbers." 

"  I  don't  know  that  he  wasn't,"  retorted 
Larcum. 

"  Well,  you  don't  know  that  he  was,"  re 
joined  Scott.  "  Probably  he  held  up  the  train 
and  then  came  into  San  Francisco  ahead  of  us. 
That's  a  case  in  which  even  '  Clearchus  9 
couldn't  have  much  to  say." 

"  But  you  don't  know  that  he  did  get  into 
town  before  we  did,"  rejoined  Larcum. 

"  We  know  he  was  here  when  we  went  into 
the  dining-room  of  the  hotel." 

66  That  doesn't  prove  anything." 

"  Why  don't  you  ask  him  yourself,  Larc! 

81 


" 


82     FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  YO SEMITE 

laughed  Scott.  "  Here  he  comes;  you  can  l  do 
it  now/  "  he  added,  as  the  young  reporter  ap 
proached  the  car  in  which  the  four  boys  were 
seated. 

"  Here  you  are  again,"  said  the  reporter 
lightly. 

"  Yes;  we're  having  a  spin  about  the  city," 
said  Larcum  pleasantly.  "  Don't  you  want  to 
join  us?  "  he  added,  disregarding  the  glances 
of  surprise  with  which  his  three  companions 
heard  his  invitation. 

' '  Thank  you ;  I  don 't  mind  if  I  do, ' '  said  the 
reporter  quickly,  as  he  hastily  climbed  into  the 
back  seat  beside  Lee  and  John.  "  I  came  up 
to  the  Presidio  for  a  story,  but  I  haven't  been 
much  more  successful  than  I  was  with  you  boys 
this  noon." 

"  Has  anything  more  been  heard  of  the 
men?  "  asked  John. 

"  There  are  a  dozen  reports,  but  none  of 
them  seems  to  be  worth  much." 

"  What  are  they?  "  inquired  Lee. 

"  Oh,  one  report  has  it  that  the  robbers  have 
been  seen  in  Oakland;  another  is  that  they've 
gone  north  to  the  Shasta  country,  and  still  an 
other  is  that  they  are  somewhere  up  in  the 
Sacramento  Valley." 


THE  START  FOR  TEE  YOSEMITE  83 

"  Where  do  you  think  they  are!  "  asked  Lar- 
cum  quietly. 

"  I  wish  I  knew,"  laughed  the  young  re 
porter.  "  If  I  did,  I'd  have  the  best  story  I 
ever  found.  It  would  be  a  '  scoop.'  " 

' '  Has  anybody  suggested  that  the  men  di 
vided  their  forces,  and  that  one  of  them  might 
have  come  to  San  Francisco?  "  inquired  Lar- 
cum,  as  he  looked  innocently  into  the  face  of 
the  man. 

"  I  don't  believe  they'd  be  foolish  enough  to 
try  that." 

"  Why  not?  A  big  city  is  about  the  safest 
place  in  the  world  for  a  rascal  to  hide  in,  isn't 
it?  " 

"  I  hadn't  thought  of  it  in  that  way,"  said 
the  reporter  lightly.  "  The  police  here  know 
just  where  to  look  for  their  men,  and  they  prob 
ably  already  are  watching  every  crook  in  San 
Francisco." 

'  '  That  may  be  true, ' '  acknowledged  Larcum ; 
"  but  you  don't  think  any  more  than  I  do  that 
these  train-robbers  were  old  hands  at  the  game, 
do  you?  " 

"Why  not?"  The  reporter,  in  apparent 
surprise,  looked  at  Larcum  as  he  spoke,  but 
the  young  giant's  face  was  expressionless. 


84     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  They  were  not  professionals,"  said  Lar- 
eum  quietly. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that.  Last  week  there 
were  two  young  fellows  that  escaped  from  the 
state  prison.  They  were  burglars,  and  as  des 
perate  characters  as  were  ever  known  in  Cali 
fornia.  ' ' 

' '  And  you  think  they  may  have  held  up  our 
train?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  That's  what  some  people  have  suggested," 
replied  the  reporter. 

"  They  weren't  the  men,"  said  Larcum  posi 
tively. 

"  How  do  you  know  they  weren't?  " 

"  There  are  several  reasons.  If  I  wanted  to 
get  that  reward  of  five  thousand  dollars,  I'd 
begin  my  search  right  here  in  San  Francisco," 
said  Larcum. 

"  I  should  like  to  join  you,"  laughed  the 
reporter  noisily,  "  though  I  don't  believe 
we'd  find  a  trace  of  them  here — at  least 
not  within  a  year.  No,  sir;  this  city  is 
the  last  place,  not  the  first,  they  will  go 
to." 

11  Will  you  help  me  look!  "  asked  Larcum 
quickly. 

"  I'd  like  to;"  replied  the  reporter  lightly; 


TEE  START  FOR  TEE  YOSEMITE  85 

"  but  I  can't  do  it.  I  have  to  leave  town  this 
evening. ' ' 

"  How  long  will  you  be  gone?  "  inquired 
Larcum. 

"  I  don't  know.  It  will  depend  upon  circum 
stances.  I  may  be  gone  two  days,  and  I  may 
be  away  a  week  or  more." 

"  That's  too  bad." 

"  Yes,  I'm  sorry,  too.  I'd  like  to  have  a 
share  of  that  five  thousand  dollars.  It  would 
be  more  than  the  train-robbers  got,  anyway," 
said  the  reporter  lightly. 

"  It  won't  be  more  than  they  will  get." 

"  If  they  are  caught." 

"  They'll  be  caught,"  declared  Larcum  con 
fidently.  "  The  villains  stand  just  about  as 
much  chance  of  getting  away  as  I  do  of  being 
elected  president  of  the  T.  G.  &  P.  next 
week." 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen." 

"  Yes,  that  remains  to  be  seen,"  acknowl 
edged  the  young  giant  quietly.  "  I  think  we'd 
better  be  going  back,"  he  continued.  "  Take 
one  more  good  look  at  the  Golden  Gate,  fellows, 
and  then  we'll  start." 

"  Out  yonder,"  suggested  the  reporter,  as  he 
pointed  toward  a  place  in  the  distance,  "  is 


86     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

where  the  Rio  de  Janeiro  was  wrecked  a  few 
years  ago." 

"  What  was  she?  "  inquired  John. 

' l  One  of  the  big  steamers  that  carried  on  the 
trade  with  the  Orient.  She  was  loaded  with 
passengers  and  freight,  and  had  come  all  the 
way  across  the  Pacific  safely — only  to  be 
wrecked  out  there,  just  outside  the  Golden  Gate. 
Passengers,  crew,  freight — all  went  down." 

"  And  almost  at  the  dock?  "  asked  Scott 

"  Yes." 

"  That's  worse  than  being  wrecked  in  the 
middle  of  the  ocean." 

66  That's  what  everybody  said." 

"  Do  you  know  what  that  makes  me  think 
of  f  "  spoke  up  Larcum.  Then,  without  wait 
ing  for  his  question  to  be  answered,  he  con 
tinued:  "  It  reminds  me  of  a  good  many  men. 
They  seem  to  get  along  pretty  well  until  they 
have  almost  finished  their  jobs.  To  quit  then 
or  not  to  do  things  to  a  finish — why,  my  father 
is  always  telling  me  that,  for  a  man  to  succeed, 
he  must  '  do  things  to  a  finish  '  and  '  tie  a 
good-sized  knot  in  his  thread.'  " 

11  What  does  he  mean?  "  asked  John. 

"  I  sha'n't  explain  if  you  can't  reason  it 
out,  Jack. 


5  > 


THE  START  FOR  THE  Y08EMITE  87 

"  But  lie  let  you  leave  college  at  the  end  of 
your  freshman  year,"  suggested  John. 

The  face  of  the  young  giant  flushed  slightly 
as  he  said:  "  That  was  the  *  end,7  good  and 
plenty,  for  me.  My  father  wanted  me  to  do 
something.  Besides,"  he  added  lightly,  "  these 
were  circumstances  over  which  I  had  no  con 
trol.  It  makes  me  think  of  what  Lee  said 
about  General  Lee  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 
You  know,  he  is  always  claiming  that  General 
Lee  would  have  won  that  battle  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  '  circumstances  over  which  he  had  no 
control.'  " 

"And  he  would,  too,  and  you  know  it!" 
spoke  up  Lee,  rather  warmly. 

"  I'm  not  denying  it;  I  am  just  wondering 
if  General  Meade  and  his  army  didn't  happen 
to  be  one  of  the  circumstances,  that's  all." 

"  Now,  see  here,  Larc "  began  Lee,  still 

more  warmly. 

"  Never  mind,  Lee,"  broke  in  Larcum  sooth 
ingly  ;  1 1  we  're  all  willing  to  admit  that  General 
Lee  was  a  great  man — almost  half  as  great  as 
you  think  he  was.  There!  there!  "  he  added, 
as  his  friend  began  to  protest.  "  I  guess  all 
our  heroes  were  human,  like  the  rest  of  us; 
and  I'm  glad  of  it.  When  I  was  young  I  was 


88     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

taught  that  George  "Washington  was  a  man 
without  a  fault.  Now  I  am  old,  I  know  bet 
ter;  and  I  like  George  all  the  more  because  I 
understand  now  that  he  belongs  to  the  human 
family." 

"  What  has  all  that  to  do  with  the  wreck  of 
the  Rio  de  Janeiro  out  here  by  the  Golden 
Gate?  "  demanded  Scott.  "  You  don't  stick  to 
your  text.  It  seems  to  me  that  somewhere, 
sometime,  somehow  I  heard  some  one  remark 
that  it  was  a  wise  thing  to  '  do  things  to  a 
finish.'  " 

"  So  it  is,"  remarked  Larcum,  disregarding 
the  laugh  that  greeted  Scott's  words.  "  My 
mother  used  to  make  me  finish  every  book  I 
began  to  read.  She  wouldn't  let  me  skip,  and 
she  wouldn't  let  me  stop  after  I  began  it.  I 
used  to  think  in  those  bygone  years  of  my  cal 
low  youth  that  she  was  a  trifle  hard  with  me, 
but  in  my  later  years  I  have  realized  the  value 
of  her  consistent  training." 

"  And  the  good  ship  Rio  de  Janeiro  was 
wrecked  just  outside  the  Golden  Gate,"  mur 
mured  John. 

"  That's  right.  Laugh  if  you  want  to,  but 
I'm  telling  you  that  the  wreck  was  just  like 
the  way  it  will  be  with  those  train-robbers." 


THE  START  FOR  THE  YOSEMITE     89 

"How?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  They'll  think  they're  all  safe;  and  then,  by 
and  by,  after  they've  grown  confident,  they'll 
put  for  home,  and  just  when  they  get  there 
they'll  find  somebody  is  on  the  watch  for  them, 
and  they'll  be  taken ' 

"  Just  outside  the  Golden  Gate?  "  inter 
rupted  Scott. 

*  *  Drive  on !  "  ordered  Larcum,  turning  to  the 
chauffeur.  Without  betraying  their  interest, 
the  four  boys  had  been  watching  the  reporter 
while  Larcum  was  speaking,  but  apparently  he 
was  not  heeding  the  young  giant's  words. 

"  This  used  to  be  called  Nob  Hill,"  the  re 
porter  explained,  when  the  motor  entered  an 
other  section  of  the  city.  "  These  houses  were 
almost  palaces,  but  they  haven't  all  been  built 
up  since  the  fire." 

"Why  not?  "  asked  John. 

"  Business  first,"  laughed  the  reporter. 

"  First,  last,  and  all  the  time  with  some  peo 
ple,"  murmured  Lee. 

"  Whose?  Their  own  or  some  other  per 
son's?  "  retorted  Larcum. 

"  Here  we  are  in  Chinatown,"  explained  the 
reporter,  as  the  automobile  turned  into  a  sec 
tion  in  which  most  of  the  people  were  Chinese. 


90     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

16  It  isn't  wliat  it  used  to  be  before  the  fire. 
The  best  time  to  see  it  is  about  eleven  o'clock 
at  night." 

"  This  is  enough  for  me,"  said  John.  "  Is 
it  true  that  a  good  many  of  the  '  sights  '  are 
gotten  up  just  for  the  benefit  of  the  sight 
seers!  " 

"I've  heard  that,  but  I  can't  say." 

"  Here  are  some  Japs,  too,"  suggested  Scott. 
"  Calif  ornians  don't  seem  to  waste  any  more 
affection  on  the  Japanese  than  they  do  on  the 
Chinese,  according  to  newspaper  reports.  Is 
that  true?  " 

"  Partly,"  said  the  reporter.  "  You  people 
in  the  East  don't  understand.  We  haven't  any 
thing  against  either  of  them — except  when  they 
take  work  out  of  the  hands  of  Americans." 

"  What  Americans?  Pietro  Ivegottevitch? 
Bridget  O'Flannigan?  " 

"  You  don't  understand,"  continued  the  re 
porter.  "  Now,  the  Japs  are  a  mighty  shrewd 
people.  They'll  start  a  laundry  and  do  the 
work  so  cheaply  that  they'll  drive  everybody 
else  out  of  the  business.  Then  up  will  go  the 
price  and  they  have  all  the  work." 

"  I  don't  see  why.  Can't  an  American  do  the 
same  thing?  "  asked  Scott. 


THE  START  FOR  TEE  YOSEMITE  91 

"  No;  not  and  live  as  an  American." 

"  How  does  an  American  live?  ' 

"  He  ought  to  have  something  besides  rice 
to  eat  and  a  place  to  sleep  in  that  is  more  than 
a  cattle-car.  Of  course,  all  the  Japs  don't  do 
that,  but  they  can  and  will  if  it  is  necessary 
in  order  to  get  a  start.  Then,  too,  some  of  the 
Japs  will  go  out  of  the  city  to  work  on  a 
ranch " 

"  Why  don't  they  work  on  the  ranches  in 
the  city?  "  said  Larcum  soberly. 

"  Oh,  this  isn't  Chicago,  Larc?  "  said  Scott 
quickly.  i  i  San  Francisco  has  some  city  limits. ' ' 

Ignoring  the  laugh  that  greeted  Scott's 
words,  the  reporter  continued:  "  The  Jap 
padrone  will  take  his  men  and  go  to  work  on 
some  farm  or  ranch,  and  mighty  good  workers 
they  are,  too.  But  they  are  sly.  Maybe  they'll 
find  out  that  the  nominal  owner  of  the  farm 
has  a  mortgage  on  his  place.  They  won't  say 
a  word — they'll  just  keep  right  on  weeding  and 
working  and  '  sawing  wood.'  They'll  live  on 
a  little,  save  almost  every  penny,  and  then  some 
fine  morning  the  owner  wakes  up  and  finds  the 
Japs  own  the  mortgage  on  his  broad  acres.  It 
doesn't  take  long  for  him  to  find  that  his  work 
men  are  dictating  terms  to  him,  and  pretty 


92    FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

quick  they  own  the  farm,  and  he  is  out.  I've 
known  of  that  being  done  a  great  many 
times. " 

"  But  why  don't  the  Americans  save  their 
money?  "  persisted  John. 

I  i  They  do ;  at  least  some  do,  though  most  of 
them  would  rather  make  money  than  save  it. 
Besides,  they  can't  live  as  the  Japs  do." 

"  I  don't  see  why,"  said  John. 

"  You  wouldn't  want  them  to." 

"  Wouldn't  I?  Well,  if  I  remember  aright, 
my  ancestors  didn't  live  in  any  very  great  lux 
ury  in  the  early  days  in  New  England.  I've 
never  heard  that  the  pioneers  took  life  very 
easily.  I  don't " 

"  You  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about,"  broke  in  the  reporter. 

"  And  you  want  to  go  to  war  with  Japan?  " 
asked  Scott. 

"  No;  we  don't  want  any  war,  but  we  don't 
want  the  Japs  and  Chinese  coolies  to  take  work 
away  from  Americans." 

"  Poor  Ivan  Ivegottevitch !  Poor  Bridget 
O'Flannigan!  Poor  Peter  Howltotheskyski !  " 
murmured  Scott.  "  How  many  Japs  are  on 
the  coast?  " 

II  I  don't  know." 


THE  START  FOR  THE  YOSEM1TE     93 

"  I  do,"  said  John;  "  about  forty  thousand. 
There  aren't  any  more  Japs  on  the  Pacific  coast 
than  there  are  Italians  in  a  city  like  Newark. 
And  yet  we  don't  get  up  a  war  with  Italy.  We 
don't " 

"  You  don't  understand,"  protested  the  re 
porter.  "  I'm  telling  you  that  none  of  these 
things  is  the  real  cause." 

1  '  What  is,  then?  " 

"  It's  the  natural  feeling  of  race  prejudice. 
You  can't  have  two  different  races  living  peace 
ably  side  by  side.  It's  against  nature.  You 
can  see  it  in  the  South,  where  the  whites  and 
negroes  are.  It's  the  same  here,  where  the  Cali- 
fornians  and  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  are." 

"  So  I  have  heard,"  said  John. 

"  Here  we  are  at  our  hotel,"  suggested  Scott, 
glad  to  have  an  end  of  the  somewhat  heated 
discussion. 

Late  that  evening  the  boys  crossed  by  the 
ferry  to  Oakland,  where  they  were  to  board  their 
train  for  their  journey  to  the  Yosemite  Valley. 
Scott  was  the  first  to  enter  the  sleeping-car,  but 
in  a  moment  he  hurriedly  rejoined  his  friends, 
who  were  still  outside. 

"  Who  do  you  think  is  in  that  car?  "  he  ex 
citedly  exclaimed. 


94    FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

11  It  might  be  Julius  Caesar,  judging  from 
your  interest/7  laughed  Lee.  "  Who  is  it?  " 

"  You  come  and  see,"  retorted  Scott;  "  that's 
all  I  want.  Come  on  and  see  for  yourselves !  " 
he  added,  his  excitement  increasing  as  his  three 
friends  followed  him  into  the  sleeper. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  OCCUPANT  OF  UPPER  SEVEN 

STANDING  in  the  aisle  and  facing  the  four 
boys  was  the  young  reporter  whom  they  had 
previously  met  several  times.  His  surprise  at 
the  meeting  was  as  genuine  as  their  own,  and, 
as  he  greeted  them,  he  said,  "  Going  to  the 
Yosemite?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Larcum.  "  You  going  there, 
too?  " 

"  I  am.  I  have  to  take  a  week  of  my  vaca 
tion  now,  as  the  city  editor  has  taken  the  time 
that  I  wanted." 

"I'm  afraid  you  haven't  got  your  boss  very 
well  trained,"  laughed  Scott.  "  He  ought  not 
to  interfere  with  your  plans." 

"  He  didn't  consult  me,"  replied  the  reporter 
lightly. 

"  You  don't  think  there's  any  likelihood  of 
our  train  being  held  up,  do  you?  "  inquired 
John  soberly. 

"This  train?     No!     You  won't  have   any 

95 


96     FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

trouble.  No  train-robbers  would  bother  with 
such  a  dinky  affair  as  this  train." 

The  reporter  spoke  lightly,  and,  as  he  looked 
at  Larcum,  he  saw  that  the  young  giant  was 
keenly  watching  him.  Whether  or  not  he  was 
surprised  was  not  apparent  in  his  face  or  man 
ner.  ' '  You  seem  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  train 
robberies  now,"  he  added.  "  Perhaps  that's 
only  natural  after  your  experience  this  morn 
ing." 

"  We  aren't  on  the  lookout  for  train  rob 
beries,"  suggested  Larcum  meaningly. 

"  What  are  you  looking  for?  " 

"  The  train-robbers,"  replied  Larcum 
promptly. 

"  Where  do  you  expect  to  find  them?  In 
the  Yosemite  Valley?  " 

"If  we  knew  just  where  they  are  hiding, 
we'd  put  straight  for  the  place.  But,  as  we 
don't  know  that,  all  we  can  do  is  to  keep  our 
eyes  open.  The  railroad  people  are  certain  to 
find  them." 

"  Are  they?  " 

"Yes,  sir;  the  men  will  be  caught,"  said 
Larcum  confidently. 

"  Perhaps  they've  been  run  to  cover  before 
this  time." 


THE  OCCUPANT  OF  UPPER  SEVEN  97 

"  That  may  be;  but  I  don't  think  so." 

"  They  certainly  have  been  seen  times 
enough  to  let  the  posses  get  them,"  laughed 
the  reporter.  "  It's  said  they  have  been  seen 
in  Sacramento,  Oakland,  Port  Costa,  and  Mill 
Valley.  The  next  report  will  be  that  they  have 
hidden  on  the  top  of  Pike's  Peak." 

"  Or  in  the  Yosemite,"  suggested  Larcum 
dryly. 

"  Oh,  they'll  keep  away  from  places  where 
there  are  many  people,"  said  John.  "  They'll 
take  to  the  hills  or  to  the  canons." 

"  How  many  miles  did  Clearchus  march, 
Jack?  "  asked  Larcum  abruptly,  as  he  turned 
to  his  friend. 

"  It  varied,"  laughed  John.  "  Some  days 
more  and  some  less." 

"  We  go  through  Sacramento  on  our  way  to 
night,  don't  we?  "  inquired  Larcum,  turning 
once  more  to  the  reporter. 

"  Yes;  I  think  we  do." 

"  Don't  you  know?  " 

"  It's  so  on  the  schedule.  I've  often  been  in 
the  Yosemite.  This  is  my  first  trip  at  night." 

"  The  hold-up  this  jnorning  was  somewhere 
between  Sacramento  atd  San  Francisco,  wasn't 
it?  "  continued  Larcunt. 


98     FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  TO  SEMITE 

"  You  ought  to  know,"  said  the  reporter; 
"  you  were  on  the  spot." 

i  i  There  were  two  of  the  young  fellows, ' '  con 
tinued  Larcum,  as  if  he  had  not  heard  the  as 
sertion  of  the  reporter.  '  i  What  would  prevent 
them  from  separating — one  going  back  to  Sac 
ramento,  and  the  other  keeping  on  to  San  Fran 
cisco!  Then,  if  they  should  want  to  do  it,  why 
couldn't  they  meet  on  any  train  that  came  from 
San  Francisco  through  Sacramento?  They 
might  meet  on  this  very  train." 

"  Keep  your  eyes  open  and  perhaps  you'll 
find  them,"  said  the  reporter  lightly.  "  If  you 
should  find  them,  let  me  know.  I'd  like  to  come 
in  with  you  for  a  share  of  that  reward.  I'll 
guarantee  that  the  train-robbers  are  worth  more 
as  prisoners  than  they  are  just  now — even  with 
all  the  stuff  they  found  in  the  mail-bags.  When 
you  get  your  plan  all  worked  out,  let  me  know. 
I'm  tired  and  am  going  to  bed.  I  have  lower 
seven.  '  Wake,  and  call  me  early ;  call  me  early, 
mother  dear,'  "  he  added;  "  but  don't  do  it  un 
less  you  are  certain  sure  you  have  found  the 
desperadoes." 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you,  Larc?  "  asked 
Scott,  when  the  young  reporter  left  them  and 
the  two  boys  were  seated  together  across  the 


THE  OCCUPANT  OF  UPPER  SEVEN  99 

aisle  from  the  section  in  which  Lee  and  John 
were  sitting.  ' i  You  act  as  if  you  thought  that 
fellow  had  something  to  do  with  our  hold-up. " 

"  Do  I?  "  responded  Larcum  shortly. 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  really  sus 
pect  him?  "  exclaimed  Scott. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  say  anything — just  yet." 

"  But  you  don't  actually  suspect  him,  do 
you?  "  persisted  Scott. 

"I'm  not  talking  for  publication, "  replied 
Larcum  gruffly.  "  Come  on;  it's  after  eleven. 
Let's  have  the  porter  make  up  our  berths." 

"I'm  agreed.  Shall  we  flip  a  coin  to  see  who 
goes  '  upstairs  '?  " 

"  No.    I  want  the  upper  berth  to-night." 

"  That's  good,"  laughed  Scott.  "  We  won't 
quarrel  over  a  little  thing  like  that.  I  thought 
I  was  booked  for  that  upper,  and  you  three 
fellows  had  the  drawing-room.  I'm  glad  to 
accommodate  you,  though  I  don't  understand 
what  has  come  over  you.  All  the  way  out  you 
growled  every  time  you  had  to  take  an  upper 
berth." 

"I'm  not  growling  to-night,  am  I?  "  retorted 
Larcum,  as  he  pushed  the  button  and  summoned 
the  porter. 

The  section  speedily  was  made  ready,  and 


100  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEM1TE 

Scott  was  the  first  to  retire.  Before  Larcnm 
sought  his  quarters  for  the  night,  however,  he 
had  a  brief  interview  with  the  dusky  porter. 

"  I'm  in  upper  ten,"  said  Larcum. 

"  Yaas,  suh." 

"  What  time  are  we  due  in  Sacramento?  " 

"  Two-thirty. " 

"  Come  to  my  berth  at  two  and  wake  me  up. 
If  you'll  do  that,  and  don't  disturb  the  man  in 
lower  ten,  I've  got  a  brand-new  silver  dollar 
for  you,'  George.  If  you  wake  up  the  fellow  un 
der  me,  you  don't  get  a  copper  cent.  You  un 
derstand,  don't  you,  George?  ' 

"  Yaas,  suh,"  replied  the  porter  dubiously. 
"  But  yo'  ticket  is  to  El  Portal.  Is  yo'  going 
to  get  off  at  Sacramento  I  ' ' 

"  I  didn't  say  anything  about  getting  off  at 
Sacramento,  or  anywhere  else,  did  I?  " 

"  No,  suh.  No,  suh,"  responded  the  porter 
glibly. 

' '  I  did  tell  you  that  I  had  a  silver  dollar  for 
you  if  you'd  wake  me  up  at  two  without  dis 
turbing  the  fellow  under  me,  didn't  I!  " 

"  Yaas,  suh.    Yaas,  suh." 

"  Well,  that's  all  I  said.  Now,  if  you  want 
that  dollar,  George,  you  know  just  how  to  get 
it.  Good-night."  Quickly  preparing  himself 


THE  OCCUPANT  OF  UPPER  SEVEN  101 

for  bed  the  young  giant  declined  "  George's  ': 
offer  to  bring  him  the  steps,  and  lightly  swung 
himself  to  his  berth,  where,  without  undressing, 
he  lay  down. 

Promptly  at  two  o'clock  the  porter  came,  and, 
carefully  thrusting  aside  the  curtains,  roused 
the  sleeping  giant  by  pulling  gently  on  Lar 
cum 's  hand.  "  All  right, "  whispered  Larcum, 
as  he  roused  himself,  and  quickly  peered  into 
the  berth  below  him,  where  a  man  was  soundly 
sleeping. 

As  Larcum  did  not  leave  his  berth,  the  puz 
zled  porter  remained  standing  in  front  of  the 
section,  expecting  to  have  further  instructions 
given  him. 

"  Are  we  on  time!  "  whispered  Larcum. 

"  Yaas,  sub." 

"  All  right  then,  George.  Here's  your  dol 
lar,"  he  added,  as  he  handed  the  porter  a  silver 
dollar.  ' t  Any  one  to  get  off  at  .Sacramento  1  ' ' 

"  No,  suh." 

"  Thank  you;  that's  all,"  said  Larcum,  as  he 
sank  back  into  the  berth  without  waiting  to  see 
whether  or  not  the  delighted  porter  returned  to 
the  end  of  the  car. 

The  young  giant,  however,  did  not  fall  asleep 
again — at  least,  not  at  once,  for,  though  he  was 


102  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TO  SEMITE 

lying  quietly,  his  eyes  were  not  closed.  Occa 
sionally  lie  sat  up,  and,  pulling  his  curtains 
slightly  apart,  peered  at  section  seven,  which 
the  reporter  had  reserved.  However,  nothing 
unusual  was  seen  there  as  the  train  sped  for 
ward  in  the  darkness.  Only  one  dim  light  had 
been  left  burning  in  the  sleeping-car,  but  its 
aid  was  sufficient  to  enable  Larcum  to  see  if 
anything  unusual  should  occur. 

Promptly  at  half -past  two  the  train  entered 
Sacramento.  Before  it  stopped  the  young  giant 
was  sitting  erect  in  his  berth,  and,  through  a 
small  opening  between  the  curtains,  he  was 
eagerly  watching  the  men  that  entered  the  car, 
when  at  last  the  train  halted  at  the  station. 

In  a  moment  three  men  came  on  board.  One 
was  an  elderly  gentleman,  to  whom  Larcum 
gave  no  heed.  A  single  glance  at  the  second 
of  the  newcomers  showed  that  this  man  was 
stout,  so  he  too  was  neglected  by  the  watching 
Larcum.  The  third  passenger,  however,  in 
stantly  claimed  his  attention,  for  this  man  was 
young  and  short  in  stature. 

"  I  have  upper  seven,  porter, "  the  young 
man  was  saying  as  he  halted  in  the  aisle. 

"  Yaas,  suh.  Yaas,  suh,"  responded  the  col 
ored  man  glibly.  "  There's  a  gentleman  al- 


THE  OCCUPANT  OF  UPPER  SEVEN  103 

ready  in  lower  seven.  If  yo'  sees  th'  conductor, 
I  reckin  he  might  give  yo'  lower  two.  There's 
nobody  in  it,  suh." 

Larcum  could  hear  every  word,  and,  in 
tensely  excited,  he  was  listening  and  watching 
with  an  eagerness  that  would  have  puzzled  his 
friends  if  they  had  seen  him. 

"  Never  mind,  porter, "  the  new  passenger 
was  saying,  "  I'll  take  upper  seven.  That's 
the  one  I  reserved." 

"  Yaas,  suh.  I'm  afraid  it'll  disturb  the  gen 
tleman  in  the  lower  berth " 

"  Go  ahead,  porter,"  interrupted  the  occu 
pant  of  the  lower  berth,  as  he  thrust  his  head 
from  behind  the  curtains.  "  Fix  up  this 
man's  place  for  him.  You  won't  disturb 
me." 

"  All  right,  suh.  I'll  attend  to  yo'  direc'ly, 
suh." 

The  train  already  was  moving  swiftly.  The 
porter  retired  to  his  linen  closet,  while  the  new 
passenger  seated  himself  in  one  of  the  unoccu 
pied  sections. 

At  this  time  Larcum  parted  the  curtains  in 
front  of  his  berth,  and,  grasping  the  long  rod 
lightly,  swung  himself  to  the  floor.  Passing 
down  the  aisle,  he  peered  at  the  young  man  who 


104  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  70S E MITE 

had  just  entered  the  car,  and  was  satisfied  that 
he  would  be  able  to  recognize  the  man  again  if 
he  should  see  him  in  the  light  of  day.  The 
passenger  was  quiet  in  his  manner,  and  ap 
parently  was  not  aware  of  the  scrutiny  of  Lar- 
cum,  although  he  glanced  hastily  at  him  as  the 
young  giant  came  down  the  aisle ;  but  he  quickly 
turned  away  his  head  and  was  looking  out  into 
the  night. 

In  a  moment  Larcum  returned  to  his  berth, 
but  he  still  did  not  lie  down.  Sitting  erect,  he 
watched  the  porter  until  upper  seven  had  been 
made  up  and  the  passenger  was  informed  that 
his  berth  was  ready  for  him.  The  young  man 
quickly  responded  to  the  summons,  and  delayed 
only  to  say  to  the  porter,  "  When  are  we  due 
at  El  Portal!  " 

"  Seven-thirty." 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  the  passenger,  who 
speedily  prepared  for  bed. 

The  car  became  silent,  save  for  the  monoton 
ous  rumble  of  the  train,  and  Larcum  remained 
in  his  sitting  position  for  an  hour  or  more,  en 
deavoring  to  discover  if  the  new  passenger  had 
any  conversation  with  the  man  in  lower  seven. 
Not  a  voice  could  he  hear,  however,  and  at  last, 
though  reluctant,  Larcum  abandoned  his  vigil 


THE  OCCUPANT  OF  UPPER  SEVEN  105 

and,  more  fully  preparing  for  bed,  was  soon 
asleep. 

It  was  daylight  when  he  awoke,  and,  hastily 
dressing,  he  descended  to  the  floor  of  the 
swaying  train.  Early  as  he  was,  he  saw  that 
Scott  was  dressed  and  seated  in  number 
two. 

"  Sick,  Larc?  "  called  Scott,  as  the  young 
giant  joined  him. 

"  Hardly, "  sniffed  Larcum.  "  Where  are 
Jack  and  Lee?  " 

"  Still  asleep.  It'll  take  both  of  us  to  pull 
them  out  of  bed." 

"  Will  it?  "  said  Larcum  absently,  as  he 
glanced  down  the  aisle  at  number  seven,  both 
of  whose  occupants  apparently  were  still 
asleep,  as  there  were  no  signs  of  life.  "  Good- 
morning,  George,"  Larcum  added,  as  the  porter 
approached. 

61  Good-mornin',  suh,"  responded  the  porter. 

"  Lose  any  of  your  passengers  last  night?  " 

"  No,  suh.  Didn't  lose  no  passengers,  suh," 
grinned  the  porter. 

"  Anybody  leave  the  car  after  we  ran  out  of 
Sacramento?  ' 

"  Yaas,  suh.  Two  gentlemen  got  off  at 
Merced." 


106  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  Did  they?  "  asked  Larcum  quickly.  Kis- 
ing,  he  stepped  nearer  the  porter,  and,  in  a 
lower  voice,  said,  "  Was  one  of  them  the  little 
fellow  that  got  on  at  Sacramento?  " 

"  Yaas,  suh.  He  got  off  when  we  fust  pulled 
into  Merced." 

Larcum  looked  blankly  at  the  porter  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  turning  to  his  friends,  said : 
"I'll  be  back  pretty  quick,  fellows.  Keep  a 
seat  for  me  until  I  have  removed  certain  super 
fluous  portions  of  the  state  of  California  from 
the  surface  of  my  ordinarily  spotless  and  deli 
cate  person." 

"  What's  gone  wrong,  Larc?  "  laughed  Scott. 
"  Early  rising  doesn't  agree  with  you,  I'm 
afraid." 

"  '  Afraid!  '  <  Afraid!  '  I'm  not  <  afraid/  " 
roared  the  young  giant,  as  he  turned  away. 
"  I'm  on  the  trail." 

"  Of  what?  " 

"  Don't  say  '  of  what  ';  say  l  whom,'  : '  said 
Larcum,  as  he  left  his  friends.  In  a  moment, 
however,  before  his  morning  ablutions  had  been 
completed,  he  hastily  rejoined  his  comrades, 
and  his  face  betrayed  the  excitement  under 
which  he  was  laboring. 


CHAPTER  IX 

AN   EVASIVE   TKAVELER 

"WHAT'S  wrong,  Larc?  "  inquired  Scott 
quickly,  as  Larcum  took  the  seat  beside  him. 
* i  You  look  as  if  you  had  caught  the  gold  fever. 
I  understand  that  the  Forty-niners  did  some 
work  along  the  Merced  River " 

"  I  am  excited, "  said  Larcum,  breaking  in 
upon  his  friend. 

"  What  is  it?  "  asked  Scott,  aware  now  that 
his  companion  was  serious. 

"  You  know,  I've  had  my  suspicions  that  that 
innocent-looking  reporter,  who  has  been  dodg 
ing  us  ever  since  we  left  the  train  yesterday 
morning : 

"  It  doesn't  seem  to  me  that  he's  been  '  dodg 
ing  '  us,  Larc,"  interrupted  Scott.  "  He's  been 
following  us  more  than  he  has  been  trying  to 
get  away  from  us." 

"  Keep  still  and  let  me  talk,"  said  Larcum, 
in  a  low  voice,  glancing  about  the  car  as  he 
spoke.  "I'm  telling  you  I've  been  suspicious 

107 


108  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

of  the  fellow.  Well,  I  got  to  thinking  it  all 
over  last  night  before  I  went  to  bed,  and  the 
more  I  thought  the  more  excited  I  became. 
When  the  porter  told  me  that  our  train  stopped 
at  Sacramento,  I  decided  that  I  would  be  awake 
when  we  got  there. " 

"  You  thought  the  other  train-robber  might 
get  on  there  and  join  this  fellow!  Well,  you 
had  your  trouble  for  your  pains,  didn't  you?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you  just  what  I  did.  I  tipped  the 
porter  a  dollar  to  wake  me  up  twenty  minutes 
before  we  were  due  in  Sacramento." 

"  Did  he  wake  you  up?  If  he  did,  I  didn't 
know  it,  and  I  had  a  berth  in  the  drawing-room, 
not  very  far  away,  Larc." 

"  I  know  you  did,  and  one  of  the  conditions 
I  made  with  the  porter  was  that  if  he  should 
wake  up  any  one  besides  me,  then  every  cent 
of  that  dollar  stayed  right  in  my  pocket." 

"  That  was  thoughtful  of  you,"  laughed 
Scott.  "  Go  on  with  your  story." 

"  Well,  the  porter  waked  me  up  all  right.  I 
sat  up  in  bed  and  watched  when  we  stopped  at 
the  station." 

"  Did  the  other  villain  get  on  board  as  he 
ought!  " 

"  A  young  fellow,  a  little  younger  than  the 


AN  EVASIVE  TRAVELER          109 

reporter,  and  about  two  inches  shorter,  got  on 
board  at  Sacramento  and  had  reserved  upper 
seven.  The  porter  told  him  he  was  sure  the  con 
ductor  could  give  him  a  lower  berth,  for  only 
a  part  of  the  sections  were  reserved;  but,  no, 
the  new  arrival  insisted  upon  being  given  upper 
seven. ' ' 

"  Is  that  true,  Larc?  Sure  you  weren't 
dreaming?  "  said  Scott,  sitting  quickly  erect 
and  excitedly  looking  into  the  face  of  his  friend. 

"  It  certainly  is  true,"  replied  Larcum 
quietly. 

"  What  happened  next!  " 

"  The  porter  made  up  upper  seven,  for, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  occupant  of  lower 
seven  was  awake,  and  happened  to  overhear 
the  conversation  between  the  passenger  and 
the  porter.  Lower  seven  told  the  porter  to  go 
ahead  and  make  up  the  upper  berth,  for  it 
wouldn  't  disturb  him  in  the  least.  He  was  quite 
good-natured  about  it." 

"  Naturally,"  sniffed  Scott.  "  Tell  me  some 
more,  Larc.  What  did  you  do  next?  " 

"  I  sat  up  and  watched.  The  new  passenger 
asked  the  porter  when  we  were  due  at  El  Por 
tal,  and  then  he  crawled  behind  the  curtains." 

"  Is  he  there  now?  "  asked  Scott,  in  a  low 


110  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TOSEMITE 

voice,  as  he  leaned  forward  and  looked  at  sec 
tion  seven,  where  the  curtains  were  still  hang 
ing,  showing  that  the  occupants  had  not  yet 
arisen. 

11  He  is  not." 

1 '  What!    Where  did  he  get  off?" 

"  At  Merced." 

"  How  do  you  know?  " 

16  The  porter  just  now  told  me  he  did.  That 
was  what  stirred  me  up  and  brought  me  back 
here  to  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  And  you  say  he  had  a  ticket  for  -Mer 
ced?  " 

"  No;  I  didn't  say  that.  What  I  said  was 
that  I  heard  him  ask  the  porter  what  time  we 
were  due  at  El  Portal." 

"  What  do  you  make  of  it?  "  asked  Scott 
thoughtfully.  ' t  It  looks  as  if  he  really  intended 
to  go  on  to  the  Yosemite  from  what  he  said  to 
the  porter.  If  he  did,  what  made  him  get  off 
at  Merced?  " 

11  Listen!  "  replied  Larcum,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  Suppose  those  two  men  really  are  the  young 
fellows  that  held  up  our  train.  One  of  them 
might  have  gone  on  to  San  Francisco,  and  the 
other  might  have  gone  in  the  opposite  direc 
tion  to  Sacramento." 


AN  EVASIVE  TRAVELER          111 

"  But  it's  reported  that  they  took  to  the 
hills." 

"  That  doesn't  make  it  so,  does  it?  The  city 
might  be  just  as  safe  as  the  hills,  especially 
if  the  men  separated." 

"  But  how  could  they,  or  the  one  we  met — 
the  reporter — get  a  train?  " 

"  He  could  do  that  easily  enough.  There  are 
a  dozen  ways.  But  never  mind  that  now.  Sup 
pose  the  two  robbers  agreed  to  meet  in  the  Yo- 
semite — that  would  be  as  safe  a  place  as  any 
for  them,  wouldn't  it?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  It  might,  though  I  don't 
suppose  any  place  is  very  '  safe. '  ' ' 

"  If  they  had  their  plans  fixed,  what  would 
be  easier  than  for  one  of  them  to  leave  San 
Francisco  for  the  Yosemite,  and  have  the  other 
get  on  board  his  train  at  Sacramento  !  Then,  it 
might  just  happen  that  they  should  agree  as 
to  which  section  should  be  reserved.  One  might 
reserve  lower  seven  from  San  Francisco,  and 
the  other  upper  seven  from  Sacramento. 
That's  all  plain,  isn't  it!  " 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Well,  then,  if  that  part  of  their  plan  should 
work  out,  it  would  let  them  get  together  and 
talk  over  the  situation." 


112  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  But  one  of  them  got  off  at  Merced,  didn't 
he?  " 

"  That's  what  the  porter  told  me." 

' '  Was  it  the  man  that  got  on  at  Sacramento, 
do  you  think?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  What  made  him  get  off,  then,  at  Merced?  " 

"  Maybe  they  had  had  their  confab  and  the 
reporter  advised  his  friend  to  do  that  very 
thing." 

"  But  why  should  he  advise  him  to  get  off  ?  " 

' '  It  would  be  so  early  in  the  morning — about 
four  or  four-thirty — that  hardly  anybody  would 
see  him  leave  the  car." 

"  If  they  planned  to  go  to  the  Yo  Semite,  why 
should  he  get  off  at  Merced?  " 

"  I  don't  know;  but  it  might  be  that  the 
reporter  had  become  suspicious  and  thought 
it  would  be  safer  for  both." 

1 '  Suspicious  ?  Of  what  ?  Do  you  think  there 
are  detectives  on  board?  "  inquired  Scott, 
glancing  about  the  car  as  he  spoke. 

"  He  might  suspect  us." 

"  Of  what?  " 

"  Of  suspecting  him." 

"  And  that  made  the  other  one  change  his 
plan?  " 


AN  EVASIVE  TRAVELER          113 

"  It  might.  Of  course,  I  don't  know 

Here  come  Jack  and  Lee, ' '  Larcum  said  hastily. 
"  Don't  say  anything  to  them  about  it  yet.  It 
will  help  keep  this  reporter  man  off  his  guard, 
and  so  help  us  just  that  much  more.  Keep  your 
eyes  open,  Scott. " 

"  Did  you  ever  see  anything  finer  than 
this!  "  said  Lee  enthusiastically,  as  he  pointed 
out  of  the  window  as  soon  as  he  and  John  had 
seated  themselves  opposite  their  friends. 

"  The  water  runs  like  a  millrace,"  said  Lar 
cum. 

"  We're  creeping  up  the  grade  as  if  we  were 
climbing  a  hill,"  said  Scott. 

"  We  are,"  rejoined  Larcum.  "  You  have 
only  to  look  at  the  torrent  out  there  to  see  what 
a  grade  we  have." 

"  That  water  is  as  clear  as  crystal,"  said 
John.  "  I  wonder  if  there  isn't  fine  fishing  in 
it?  " 

"  There  must  be,"  added  Scott.  "  Mountain 
trout,  too.  My!  I  wonder  what  I'd  do  if  I 
hooked  a  five-pounder?  " 

"  I  know  what  you'd  do,"  replied  Larcum. 
"If  you  were  wading  the  Merced,  you'd  be 
yanked  into  that  current.  You  wouldn't  be  able 
to  keep  your  footing  a  minute." 


114  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

"  I'd  like  to  try  it,  anyhow,"  laughed  Scott. 
"  I  believe  I  will,  too." 

"  Not  while  you're  with  us  on  this  trip,"  said 
Larcum  decidedly.  "  It's  against  the  law,  and 
I  don't  intend  to  have  any  of  my  friends  go 
hang,  along  with  the  train-robbers " 

Larcum  stopped  abruptly  and  looked  up,  to 
see  that  the  reporter  was  standing  beside  him 
and  looking  quizzically  down  at  the  boys. 

"  Still  harping  on  the  train-robbers!  "  he 
asked  lightly.  "  Haven't  you  got  over  your 
scare  yet?  " 

"  I  think  we'll  manage  somehow  to  survive," 
replied  Larcum  quietly.  "  I  don't  think  we're 
half  as  much  afraid  of  seeing  them  as  they  are 
that  we  might  see  them." 

* i  They  '11  keep  out  of  sight  all  right,  you  may 
rest  easily  on  that,"  said  the  reporter  lightly. 
Then,  abruptly  changing  the  subject,  he  drew 
the  attention  of  the  young  travelers  to  the 
scenes  through  which  they  were  passing.  The 
swiftly-flowing  river,  with  its  clear  waters 
sparkling  in  the  light  of  the  early  morning; 
the  bleak  and  towering  hills  that  rose  on  either 
side;  the  sunlight  that  touched  the  peaks  with 
glory  and  yet  left  the  shadows  still  upon  the 
valley ;  the  bracing  air ;  the  exhilaration  of  the 


AN  EVASIVE  TRAVELER          115 

moving  train ;  the  vision  of  the  occasional  hum 
ble  little  homes  of  the  region;  the  interest  in 
the  journey  itself  to  the  wonderful  valley  to 
which  they  were  going — all  combined  to  impress 
the  four  boys  and  make  even  Larcum  forgetful 
for  the  moment  of  the  great  schemes  he 
was  forming  for  the  detection  of  the  men 
that  had  held  up  their  train  the  preceding 
day. 

"  You  know,"  suggested  the  reporter  as, 
without  waiting  for  an  invitation,  he  seated 
himself  on  the  arm  of  the  seat  beside  John, 
"  this  is  a  part  of  the  country  into  which  the 
Forty-niners  came  for  gold." 

"  Did  they  find  any?  "  asked  Scott  quickly* 

"  They  surely  did." 

"  Is  there  any  here  now  I  " 

"  Yes,  I  fancy  there  is." 

"  I  reckon  the  most  of  it  is  left  by  tourists, 
sir, ' '  suggested  Lee. 

"  There  are  people  who  say  that  there  is 
more  gold  put  into  the  ground  than  is 
ever  taken  out,"  said  the  reporter,  with  a 
laugh.  "  Those  old  miners  must  have  had 
some  great  experiences — especially  when  so 
many  of  their  attempts  didn't  pan  out  very 
well." 


116  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  What  does  that  mean — '  pan  out  '?  "  asked 
John.  "  I've  heard  the  expression  a  good 
many  times,  but,  though  I  fancied  it  was  de 
rived  from  some  mining  term,  I  never  under 
stood  just  what  the  words  meant." 

"  Probably  it  refers  to  the  miner's  pan.  You 
know  about  that,  don't  you?  " 

"  I  don't,"  replied  John  promptly. 

"  Thank  you,  Jack.  I  was  about  to  make 
the  same  remark,"  said  Scott  soberly. 

"  The  prospector — you  know  that  is  what 
the  man  who  is  looking  about  for  gold  is  called 
— when  he  found  a  spot  that  made  him  think 
there  might  be  gold  in  it,  first  cleared  away  the 
rocks  and  rubbish  that  might  cover  up  his  '  pay 
dirt.'  Then  he  would  take  his  pan,  full  of  this 
pay  dirt,  down  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  or  to 
some  place  where  there  was  water.  He'd  push 
the  pan  just  below  the  surface  of  the  water 
and  then  he'd  begin  to  move  it  with  his  hands, 
with  a  rotary  motion,  at  the  same  time  tipping 
his  pan  a  little  so  that  one  edge  would  be  a 
little  lower  than  that  of  the  opposite  side — if 
one  can  speak  of  the  i  side  '  of  a  pan.  In  this 
all  finer  particles  of  the  stuff  in  his  pan  would 
be  carried  off  and  the  pebbles  and  little  pieces 
of  rock  near  the  top  would  be  washed,  so  that 


AN  EVASIVE  TRAVELER          117 

he  could  see  if  there  were  any  flakes  of  gold  in 
them.  Those  that  weren't  any  good  were  then 
picked  out  and  thrown  away,  while  the  good 
ones  were  kept.  The  miner  would  keep  the 
process  going  until  at  last  he  would  stop  and 
look  for  the  gold  that  might  have  washed  into 
the  lowest  inside  edge  of  his  pan.  You  see,  the 
gold  itself  is  heavier  than  the  rest  of  the  dirt 
and  naturally  settles  in  the  process  to  the 
bottom. " 

"  How  many  '  pans  '  could  a  man  wash  out 
in  a  day?  "  asked  Scott. 

"  From  thirty-five  to  fifty — sometimes  even 
more  than  that." 

"  Did  it  pay?  " 

' '  That  depended  somewhat  upon  the  amount 
of  gold  the  miner  found, ' '  laughed  the  reporter. 
"  I  knew  a  man  who  told  me  that  he  found  a 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars'  worth  of  gold  in  a 
single  pan." 

*  '  If  one  pan  is  worth  a  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
dars,  and  a  miner  can  wash  fifty  pans  in  one 
day,  how  much  will  it  cost  him  to  walk  back 
East?  "  asked  Scott. 

Ignoring  the  question,  the  reporter  said: 
"  Of  course  this  l  washing  '  is  the  most  primi 
tive  of  all  the  ways  of  getting  gold,  and  isn't 


118  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TOSEMITE 

used  to-day,  when  machinery  is  the  proper 
thing.  Next  above  it,  I  think,  was  the  '  cradle/ 
This  was  a  species  of  cradle,  or  sieve,  such  as 
some  people  use  in  sifting  ashes.  It  took  two 
men  to  work  it  properly — nobody  ever  worked 
it  as  well  as  the  Chinese  miners  did — one  to  get 
and  pour  in  the  soil  or  gravel,  and  the  other 
to  pour  in  the  water  with  one  hand,  while  with 
the  other  he  rocked  the  cradle.  He  had  to 
learn  how  to  use  his  hands  this  way — a  good 
deal  as  a  boy  does  when  he  rubs  the  top  of  his 
head  with  his  left  hand  and  pats  his  chest 
with  his  right.  In  the  process  of  rocking 
the  cradle  the  gold  would  go  through  the 
sieve  to  the  bottom  of  the  hopper  and  be 
caught  on  the  i  apron  '  below.  Of  course, 
a  nugget  might  be  too  big  to  do  that,  but 
the  miner  didn't  mind  a  little  thing  like 
that." 

"  Did  they  ever  find  nuggets  too  big  to  go 
through  the  holes?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  Yes;  a  good  many  times.  All  his  neigh 
bors  within  a  mile  would  usually  know  of  a 
nugget  that  had  been  found,  for  the  miners' 
lungs  were  good.  All  these  nuggets  were 
dropped  into  a  lucky  buckskin  purse  and  taken 
care  of  there." 


AN  EVASIVE  TRAVELER          119 

"  Didn't  they  have  any  train-robbers  in 
those  days?  "  inquired  Larcum  soberly. 

"  Here  we  are  at  El  Portal!  "  exclaimed  the 
reporter,  ignoring  the  question  of  the  young 
giant. 


CHAPTEE  X 

COACHING 

QUICKLY  all  other  matters  were  ignored  or 
forgotten  as  the  boys  grasped  their  suit 
cases  and,  as  soon  as  the  train  halted  at 
the  little  station,  made  their  way  to  the  plat 
form. 

"  Where  now,  Larc?  "  asked  Scott.  "  I  don't 
see  any  hotel." 

"  Follow  that  path  up  the  side  of  the  hill 
yonder,  and  you'll  find  the  Del  Portal,"  said 
the  reporter,  who  was  standing  near  the  young 
travelers. 

"  We  don't  want  the  Del  Portal;  we  want  El 
Portal,"  suggested  John. 

11  One  is  the  hotel  and  the  other  is  the  sta 
tion,"  responded  the  reporter. 

"  Then  the  Del  Portal  is  at  El  Portal,  is 
it?  I  don't  see  any  Del  Portal,  and  how  can  I 
find  the  El  Portal?  " 

11  Keep  on  up  the  path  and  you'll  find  it,  all 
right." 

120 


COACHING  121 

At  once  acting  upon  the  suggestion  the  four 
boys  turned  to  the  winding  pathway  on  the 
hillside,  and,  soon  entering  the  roadway,  in  a 
few  minutes  arrived  at  the  hotel,  where  eager 
porters  seized  their  bags  and  led  the  way  into 
the  hotel,  followed  by  the  boys.  In  response 
to  their  inquiries,  the  boys  were  informed  that 
a  coach  would  leave  for  the  Sentinel  Hotel  in 
the  Yosemite  Valley  as  soon  as  breakfast  had 
been  served.  The  suggestion  was  sufficient  to 
cause  the  young  travelers  to  register  hastily, 
and  then  to  enter  the  dining-room,  where  they 
secured  a  table  and  were  at  once  served  by  one 
of  the  waitresses. 

Glancing  over  the  menu,  Larcum  said  sol 
emnly,  "  There's  only  one  thing  on  this  bill 
of  fare  that  I  don't  want." 

"  What's  that?  "  asked  Scott,  who  was  bus 
ily  inspecting  his  own  card. 

11  The  date— June  twenty-fourth.  I'll  take 
everything  except  the  date,"  Larcum  added,  as 
he  turned  to  the  waitress. 

"I'm  afraid  the  hotel  won't  make  much  on 
our  party,"  laughed  Lee,  "  for  I'm  going  to 
give  the  same  order  you  did,  Larc." 

"  Same  here,"  added  Scott. 

"  Your  order  the  same?  "  asked  the  waitress, 


122  FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  70S  EM  IT  E 

who  was  laughing  now,  as  she  held  a  card  be 
fore  John. 

"  Not  quite,"  began  John. 

"  Got  any  codfish  and  baked  beans?  "  Scott 
asked  the  waitress. 

"  I'm  afraid  we  haven't,  unless  it's  on  the 
bill  of  fare,"  she  replied. 

"  There  isn't  anything  like  that  on  mine," 
said  Larcum,  as  he  turned  his  card  over  and 
inspected  it  on  both  sides. 

11  I'll  have  a  steak  and  some  French-fried  po 
tatoes,"  said  John.  "  I  don't  want  everybody 
in  the  hotel  to  come  in  to  see  the  sight  of  our 
table  heaped  up  with  everything " 

"  It  isn't  '  everything,'  '  broke  in  Larcum. 
"  I  distinctly  told  the  waitress  she  might  leave 
out  the  date.  Didn't  II  "  he  added,  turning  to 
the  waitress  as  he  spoke. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  she  replied  smilingly. 

"I'm  ordering  for  a  more  simple  life,"  said 
John.  '  *  You  may  bring  me  the  steak  and  the 
potatoes — oh,  yes,  I  think  I'll  have  some  of 
the  mountain  trout,  some  rolls  and  brown 
bread,  some  wheat  cakes,  and  some  marmalade 
and  toast,  some  graham  rolls,  too.  Yes,  you 
may  also  bring  me " 

"  Don't    wait,    Jack,"    broke    in    Larcum. 


COACHING  123 

"  Just  bring  him  the  same  things  we  ordered 
— and  bring  in  the  date,  too/'  he  added,  as  he 
spoke  to  the  smiling  waitress. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  understand/'  she  replied,  as 
she  started  at  once  toward  the  kitchen. 

"  What  has  become  of  our  shadow!  "  asked 
Scott,  as  he  began  to  peel  an  orange  and  looked 
about  the  large  room. 

"  Our  <  shadow  '?  What's  that?  "  inquired 
Lee,  following  his  friend's  example. 

"  The  reporter." 

6  i  Never  mind  him, '  *  growled  Larcum.  * '  He 
hasn't  evaporated." 

"  How  long  a  ride  is  it  into  the  valley!  " 
asked  Scott. 

"  The  guidebook  says  it  is  twelve  and  a  half 
miles  from  El  Portal  to  the  Sentinel  House," 
replied  John. 

"  That  may  be  true,"  said  Lee,  "but  the 
manager  just  told  me  it  was  fifteen,  and  every 
mile's  a  good  long  one,  too." 

"  The  longer  the  better,"  said  Scott  lightly. 
16  Did  you  ever  breathe  such  air?  I'd  like  noth 
ing  better  than  to  take  a  tramp  along  the 
valley. ' ' 

"  Where  will  you  get  him!  "  asked  Larcum. 

"  Get  whom!  " 


124  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  Your  tramp." 

"  I  don't  want  any  tramp.     What  I  said 


was " 

it 


What  you  said  was  that  you'd  like  to  take 
a  tramp  along  the  valley.  What  I  say  is  that 
you  won't  find  many  tramps  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  so  I  don't  see  how  you're  going 
to  take  one  into  the  valley." 

"  Fellows,"  said  Scott,  "  I've  got  a  conun 
drum:  What  is  there  brighter  than  the  mind 
of  little  Larkief  " 

"  Nothing,"  responded  Larcum  promptly. 

"  Correct,  the  first  time.  Nothing  is  brighter 
than  Larc's  intellectual  processes.  Now,  if 
nothing  is  brighter,  how  much  less  than 
nothing  must  be  the  brilliancy  of  Larcum 
Brown's " 

"  Quit!  "  said  John.  "  You're  faint  from 
hunger.  You'll  feel  better " 

"  When  our  breakfast  is  served,"  broke  in 
Lee.  "  Here  comes  our  waitress,"  he  added 
eagerly.  "  Look  at  her!  She's  got  an  as 
sistant,"  he  added,  as  another  waitress,  bear 
ing  a  heaping  tray,  was  also  seen  approaching. 

"  Everything  but  the  date,"  murmured  Lar 
cum.  "  Perhaps  later  we'll  have  that,  too." 

"  There  comes  the  coach!  "  exclaimed  Scott, 


COACHING  125 

a  half-hour  later,  as  a  coach,  containing  four 
seats  and  drawn  by  four  horses,  swept  up  the 
side  of  the  hill  and  stopped  in  front  of  the 
hotel. 

"  That's  too  bad,"  said  Larcum  soberly. 
'  *  I  suspect  it  is  a  trick  to  cut  us  off  from  hav 
ing  a  square  meal." 

"  Hasn't  impressed  the  other  people  that 
way,  Larc,"  laughed  Lee,  as  he  looked  about 
the  room.  "  We  seem  to  be  the  only  ones  left." 

"  Lee,  you  need  less  food  than  any  of  the 
rest  of  us;  you  go  and  find  out  if  there  is  to 
be  another  coach  a  little  later,"  suggested  Lar 
cum.  "  If  there  is,  you  would  better  reserve 
seats  for  us  on  that." 

"  All  right,"  laughed  Lee,  as  he  arose  and 
went  out.  In  a  brief  time  he  returned  and 
reported  that  there  was  a  second  coach,  which 
would  leave  fifteen  minutes  later. 

"  That's  good — as  far  as  it  goes,"  said  Lar 
cum.  "  I  never  like  to  start  on  a  hard  ride 
without  first  having  had  my  breakfast." 

When  the  second  coach  arrived,  Larcum, 
with  apparent  reluctance,  arose  and  joined  his 
friends,  who  were  already  seated  in  the  rear 
seat.  Clambering  into  the  seat  beside  the 
driver,  he  looked  back  at  his  friends  and  said: 


126  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  70S  EM  IT E 

"  You  fellows  thought  you  were  getting  the 
best  places,  didn't  you?  Well,  let  me  tell  you 
that  you'll  eat  more  than  the  assigned  peck  of 
dirt  before  we  arrive  at  the  Sentinel.  You'll 
get  all  the  bumps,  too.  Now,  up  here  where  I 
am,  I  have  good  company,  no  dust,  and  plenty 
of  room.  I  haven't  given  my  humble  services 
to  the  T.  G-.  &.  P.  without  learning  a  few  things 
and  some  besides." 

"  Trust  you  for  that,  Larc,"  called  Scott. 

"  I  wasn't  the  first  one  in  the  coach,"  re 
torted  Larcum.  i  i  If  I  had  been,  I  should  have 
saved  a  seat  for  my  friends.  As  it  is " 

"  Driver,"  called  Scott,  "  how  many  people 
are  to  be  in  each  seat?  " 

"  Three,"  replied  the  driver. 

66  Then  there'll  be  room  up  there  in  front 
for  another,  won't  there?  " 

"  Not  this  trip.  You'll  have  to  stay  where 
you  are;  I  can't  have  any  one  besides  this  big 
fellow  here  this  morning.  I  couldn't  handle  my 
horses  if  I  did." 

"  Be  content,  my  inexperienced  friend  from 
the  provincial  town  on  the  shore  of  the  North 
Eiver,"  called  Larcum  derisively.  "  I  under 
stand  your  willingness  to  appropriate  every 
good  thing  which  some  one  else  finds,  but  on 


COACHING  127 

this  trip  you're  to  stay  where  you  are — and 
where  you  belong — in  the  rear  end  of  this  pro 
cession/' 

The  seats,  however,  by  this  time  were  all 
filled,  and,  as  soon  as  the  porter  had  collected 
the  tickets  or  fares  from  the  passengers,  the 
coach  started. 

Sweeping  swiftly  down  the  hillside,  the 
horses  soon  slackened  their  pace  as  they  slowly 
dragged  the  heavy  load  along  the  steep  grade 
of  the  road.  Indeed,  the  ride  of  the  morning 
was  a  steady  climb  for  the  most  part.  The 
course  led  along  the  shore  of  the  swiftly-flowing 
Merced  Kiver,  whose  rushing  waters  were,  in 
places,  almost  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  then 
again  would  be  white  with  foam  as  they  dashed 
around  some  huge  bowlder  in  the  stream.  On 
either  side  rose  the  towering  and  bleak  hillsides, 
where  steep  cliffs  and  jagged  rocks  at  times 
almost  seemed  to  shut  off  the  possibility  of 
further  advance.  Little  flocks  of  purple  but 
terflies  fluttered  above  the  scant  bushes.  Oc 
casionally  the  pungent  odor  of  the  bay  bushes 
permeated  the  air.  Wild  lilacs — purple  or 
white — were  seen  growing  in  the  places  where 
sufficient  soil  had  been  left  by  the  rushing 
stream.  And,  through  it  all,  the  narrow  road 


128   FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

led  steadily  upward.  The  progress  of  the 
coach  was  so  slow  that,  when  three  miles  had 
been  made,  every  one  of  the  boys  was  ready  to 
believe  that  the  miles  were  indeed  "  long,"  as 
they  had  been  informed. 

Clouds  of  dust  were  stirred  by  the  toiling 
horses  and  the  slowly-moving  coach,  and  as 
Larcum  occasionally  glanced  back  at  his  friends 
in  the  rear  seat,  who  were  almost  enveloped  in 
the  dust,  he  grinned  appreciatively,  but  did  not 
otherwise  express  his  feelings. 

The  heat  of  the  morning  sun  was  reflected 
from  the  towering  cliffs,  and  increased  the  dis 
comfort  of  the  travelers.  At  occasional  places 
four-  or  six-horse  teams  were  met  and  passed; 
but  greetings  seldom  were  exchanged.  The 
ride  was  hard,  but  the  grandeur  of  the  scenery, 
as  well  as  the  promise  of  the  majesty  of  the 
surroundings  of  the  valley  toward  which  the 
party  was  journeying,  served  to  help  the  boys 
to  make  light  of  the  present  discomforts. 
"  Every  good  thing  in  the  world  has  its  price, " 
Larcum  had  said,  when  the  four  boys  departed 
from  San  Francisco,  and  now,  as  he  repeated 
the  remark,  the  driver  beside  him  said,  "  You'll 
get  your  money's  worth  as  soon  as  you're  in 
the  valley." 


COACHING  129 

"  Everybody  had  to  come  by  coach  a  few 
years  ago,  didn't  they!  "  asked  Larcum. 

"  Yes.  They  had  to  coach  from  seventy  to 
a  hundred  miles  just  to  get  into  the  valley.  The 
railroad  has  cut  it  down  now  to  about  fifteen. ' ' 

"  That's  enough,"  laughed  Larcum.  "  One 
of  my  friends  told  me  that  the  cars  had  taken 
all  the  poetry  out  of  the  approach  to  the  Yo- 
semite,  that  one  ought  to  come  in  by  coach  if 
he  really  wanted  to  appreciate  what  he  saw. 
I  think  I'll  do  my  best  to  be  contented  with  the 
railroad.  Where  did  the  coaches  start  from 
in  the  days  before  the  railroad  was  built!  ' 

"  Mostly  from  Raymond,  or  from  Stockton 
over  the  Big  Oak  Flat  Road." 

"  Horseback  wouldn't  be  so  bad,"  suggested 
Larcum.  "  Why  doesn't  the  government  fix  up 
and  water  these  roads  the  way  it  does  in  the 
Yellowstone!  This  is  a  national  park  as  much 
as  that  is." 

"  These  roads  are  all  right — for  mountain 
roads,"  retorted  the  driver  sharply,  for  he  did 
not  mean  to  be  silent  when  any  reflections  upon 
the  region  were  made.  "  Besides,  the  govern 
ment  has  begun  to  make  appropriations.  It 
won't  be  long  before  things  will  be  better — 
though  I  don't  find  any  fault  with  the  road  as 


130  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEM1TE 

it  is.  Look  yonder, "  lie  added,  pointing  to  some 
overhanging  rocks  ahead.  "  See  those  rocks?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  they  were  all  blasted  out  this  spring. 
Some  young  fool  cut  his  initials  in  the  rock, 
and  the  government  had  to  blast  in  order  to 
get  them  out." 

"  Why!  " 

"  l  Why?  '  Because  there  wasn't  any  other 
way  to  do  it.  It's  against  the  law  to  cut  your 
name  anywhere  hereabouts.  And  it  ought  to 
be.  But  last  year  some  fool  tourist  thought 
he'd  leave  his  initials  here.  And  that's  what 
came  of  it.  There's  always  somebody  trying 
to  spoil  a  place  by  advertising  his  f oolness !  ' ' 
the  driver  added,  in  disgust. 

Meanwhile  the  driver  had  been  pointing  out 
to  his  passengers  the  numerous  waterfalls  that 
could  be  seen  on  the  steep  sides  of  the  cliffs. 
Strange  formations  that  resembled  the  head  of 
an  elephant,  a  cat,  a  human  form,  and  various 
other  striking  likenesses  were  also  seen. 

"  Yonder,"  he  added,  as  he  called  attention 
to  a  thin  fall  of  water  which  was  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height,  "  is  the 
Widow's  Tears.  Any  of  you  give  a  guess  how 
the  fall  got  its  name?  " 


COACHING  131 

"  I  guess  it's  because  the  fall  never  dries 
up,"  suggested  some  one. 

"  No.  You're  wrong.  Those  falls  run  just 
six  weeks  in  the  spring  or  early  in  the  sum 
mer,  and  then  they  dry  up.  Gret  along!  "  he 
added  sharply,  to  his  horses. 

For  a  time  the  coach  was  well-nigh  hidden 
in  the  cloud  of  dust  that  enveloped  it,  but  the 
discomforts  of  the  travelers  were  speedily  for 
gotten  when  the  driver  turned  to  them  and 
said,  "  In  about  ten  minutes  we'll  get  our  first 
view  of  the  Yosemite." 


CHAPTER  XI 

INTO   THE  VALLEY 

"  THEKE  ought  to  be  fine  fishing  in  the 
Merced/'  suggested  Larcom,  as  he  once  more 
glanced  at  the  river,  its  emerald  waters  tum 
bling  and  flashing  in  the  sunlight  as  the  coach 
passed  more  swiftly. 

"  I  told  you  there  is,"  replied  the  driver 
shortly. 

"  What  do  you  use  for  bait!  " 

' t  'Most  anything.  Those  mountain  trout  are 
so  savage  that  I've  known  men  to  have  to  run 
and  hide  behind  a  bowlder  or  a  tree,  or  the  fish 
would  follow  them  right  up  on  the  land." 

"  I  believe  you,"  said  Larcum  soberly,  glanc 
ing  reprovingly  behind  him  at  his  friends,  who 
laughed  at  the  driver's  words.  "  If  there  is 
one  thing  more  than  another  that  has  impressed 
me  since  I  came  into  this  country,  it  is  the 
incomprehensible,  not  to  say  multitudinous,  dis 
pensations  of  certain  subtle  and  philosophical 
declarations  as  to  the  unified  and  indisputable 

132 


INTO  THE  VALLEY  133 

conglomerations  of  hyperbolean  depreciations 
of  the  inherent  capabilities  of  the  indigenous 
anthropological  and  traditional  estimates  of  the 
superabundant  testimonials  of  the  qualifications 
of  earth  and  air  and  sky  for  the  production  of 
pristine  and  gigantic,  as  well  as  consecutive, 
memorabilia  of  transcendent  and  clarified  dec 
larations.  Indeed,  driver,  I  believe  every  word 
you  say." 

"  You'd  better — in  June,"  retorted  the 
driver,  with  a  grin.  "  If  any  of  the  soldiers 
catch  you  fishing  you'll  retire  from  the  world 
for  a  while." 

"  I  appreciate  your  timely  suggestion.  The 
season  is  closed,  so  to  speak." 

"  You're  right  it  is." 

"  Do  any  of  the  inhabitants  ever  get  a  repu 
tation  for  veracity?  " 

"  They  don't  have  any  of  those  diseases 
now." 

"  They  are  to  be  congratulated.  Who  owns 
the  Yosemite  Valley?  " 

"  The  government." 

"  California  or  national!  " 

"  The  United  States.  In  1905  the  State 
turned  the  park  over  to  the  national  govern 
ment.  The  Department  of  the  Interior  has 


134  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  T  OS  E  MITE 

charge  of  it,  and  keeps  two  troops  of  cavalry 
here  to  look  out  for  fishermen  and  anybody  else 
that  tries  to  violate  the  law." 

"  Did  you  ever  think  that  it  is  not  the  law 
that  is  broken,  but  that  the  man  who  tries  to 
break  it  is  the  one  who  is  broken?  ' 

"  I  never  did." 

"  Thank  you." 

"  You're  welcome." 

"  How  did  the  State  of  California  happen  to 
be  in  possession  of  the  park!  " 

"  Congress  deeded  it  to  the  State  in  1864." 

"  How  much?  " 

"  The  valley  and  all  the  land  around  it  for 
about  two  miles — altogether  there  were  about 
five  hundred  thousand  acres,  I'm  told." 

"  And  California  deeded  it  back  in  1905?  " 

"  That  right." 

"  How  large  is  the  valley  itself?  " 

"  The  level  stretch  is  about  eight  miles  long." 

"  How  high  is  it?  " 

«  What— the  valley?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Thirty-nine  hundred  and  sixty  feet  above 
the  sea  level." 

"  And  how  high  are  the  walls  of  the  val 
ley?  " 


INTO  THE  VALLEY  135 

"  Oh,  from  three  to  six  thousand  feet." 

"  If  a  man  should  fall  off  the  top,  do  you 
think  he  would  be  bruised  when  he  struck  the 
bottom?  " 

"No,  I  don't !" 

"Why  not?  " 

"He'd  starve  to  death  before  he  struck  bot 
tom.  Go  'long!  "  the  driver  added,  as  he 
cracked  his  whip  and  spoke  to  his  horses. 

i  i  When  was  the  Yosemite  National  Park  cre 
ated?  "  continued  Larcum. 

"  Eighteen  hundred  and  ninety." 

"  Any  bears  here?  " 

"  Only  enough  to  eat  the  children.  See  that 
mistletoe?  "  inquired  the  driver,  as  he  pointed 
to  some  huge  masses  of  the  plant  clinging  to 
the  branches  of  some  of  the  near-by  oaks. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Larcum,  as  he  and  his  fellow- 
passengers  glanced  at  the  plants. 

"  What  would  you  do  if  you  should  happen 
to  meet  a  Digger  squaw  under  such  a  bunch 
as  that?  " 

"  Eun!  These  mountains  are  part  of  the 
Sierra  Nevadas,  aren't  they?  " 

"  Yes,  the  western  slope." 

"  How  wide  is  the  valley?  " 

"  From  half  a  mile  to  two  miles.    You  can 


136  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

see  for  yourself  now,  for  we're  coming  into  it," 
added  the  driver.  "  Yonder  is  the  Bridal  Veil 
Falls,  and  almost  opposite,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  valley,  is  El  Capitan.  This  isn't  the  best 
view  you'll  get,  but  you  can  begin  to  get  some 
idea  of  what  you're  coming  to,  if  you  look 
around. ' ' 

For  a  moment  every  one  in  the  coach  became 
silent.  The  level  floor  of  the  valley  seemed  to 
be  so  shut  in  by  the  steep  mountains  that  no 
exit  could  be  seen.  The  bleak,  barren  sides  of 
El  Capitan  were  so  steep  that  the  summit 
seemed  almost  to  hang  over  the  narrow  little 
valley.  The  misty  fall  of  waters  on  the  oppo 
site  side  was  as  pure  and  white  as  its  name. 
Indeed,  the  white  and  glistening  mist  made  the 
fall  much  in  the  form  of  a  bride's  veil.  The 
sight  was  impressive  in  its  grandeur,  and  yet 
so  beautiful  and  soft  that  its  beauty  was  even 
more  impressive  than  its  height. 

"  How  high  is  the  Bridal  Veil?  "  asked  John. 

"  Six  hundred  and  thirty  feet." 

"  Sheer!  " 

"  Yes." 

"  How  high  is  Niagara,  Jack!  "  called  Lar- 
cum. 

"  One  hundred  and  sixty-seven  feet  on  the 


INTO  THE  VALLEY*  137 

American  side,"  replied  John.  "  On  the  Ca 
nadian  they  are  not  so  high  by  nine  feet." 

"  How  wide  are  they?  ' 

"A  thousand  feet." 

"  How  wide  is  the  Bridal  Veil,  driver?  " 
Larcum  inquired. 

"  About  fifty  to  seventy  feet.  The  best  time 
to  see  it  is  late  in  the  afternoon,  for  then  the 
mist  is  heavier,  and  you  usually  can  find  rain 
bows  there." 

"  A  cubic  mile  of  water  goes  over  Niagara 
every  week,"  suggested  John. 

"  There  isn't  as  much  water  here,"  said  the 
driver.  "  It  isn't  the  noise  or  the  volume; 
it's  the  beauty  of  the  falls  the  people  like 
here. ' ' 

"Well,  they've  got  it,"  acknowledged  Lar 
cum. 

"  Wait  till  you  see  the  Yosemite  Falls." 

"  Are  they  higher  than  the  Bridal  Veil!  " 
asked  Lee. 

"  Are  they  higher?  Well,  you  just  wait  till 
you  see  them!  r 

"  But  some  people  say  the  Bridal  Veil  Falls 
are  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world,"  suggested 
John. 

"  I  know  they  do,"  said  the  driver.    "  But 


138  FOUR  BOY 8  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

you  mark  my  words — you  wait  till  you  see  the 
Yosemite  Falls. " 

"  How  high  are  they?  " 

"Almost  half  a  mile." 

"What!  " 

"  I'm  telling  you  the  truth." 

"  A  sheer  drop  of  that  height?  " 

6  i  Almost.  There  are  three  parts — the  upper 
fall  is  fourteen  hundred  and  thirty-six  feet, 
the  middle,  or  the  cascades,  are  six  hundred 
and  twenty-six,  and  the  lower  fall  is  four  hun 
dred  feet — altogether  the  Yosemite  Falls  are 
about  twenty-five  hundred  feet — almost  a  half- 
mile." 

"  I  should  think  it  would  be  all  mist  by  the 
time  it  reached  the  bottom." 

"  There's  plenty  of  mist,"  replied  the 
driver,  "  and  plenty  of  water,  too.  You'll  see 
the  water  shooting  down  like  rockets  right  in 
the  midst  of  the  mist." 

"  It  must  be  the  highest  fall  in  the  world  " 
suggested  Scott. 

"  It  is — of  any  stream  of  its  size." 

"  What  is  the  stream?  " 

"  The  Yosemite  Creek." 

"  How  wide  is  it?  " 

"  At  the  top  of  the  falls?    That  depends  on 


INTO  TEE  VALLEY.  139 

the  time  of  the  year  when  you  see  it.  Just  now 
it's  about  thirty-five  feet  wide.  Later  in  the 
season,  when  the  streams  dry  up  and  a  good 
deal  of  the  snow  on  the  mountains  is  gone,  it 
isn't  so  wide,  of  course. " 

61  I'd  like  to  see  it  in  winter,"  said  John. 

"  You're  right.  It's  a  great  sight  then. 
Sometimes,  if  the  winter  happens  to  be  un 
usually  cold,  the  falls  will  stop  every  morning 
till  the  sun  thaws  out  the  ice  which  forms  up 
there  and  stops  the  water.  Usually,  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  day,  it  thaws  out  again,  and  the  falls 
resume  operations.  In  the  winter-time  the  sun 
doesn't  shine  more  than  about  two  hours  right 
in  the  valley.  I've  seen  a  cone  of  ice  five  hun 
dred  feet  high  form  at  the  foot  of  the  upper 
fall.  But  wait  till  you  see  for  yourselves." 

* '  It  must  be  great  if  it 's  more  beautiful  than 
the  Bridal  Veil,"  said  Lee. 

"  I  didn't  say  it  was  more  beautiful;  I  said 
it  was  a  good  deal  higher,"  responded  the 
driver.  "  The  old  Indians  that  used  to  live 
in  the  valley  never  thought  very  much  of  the 
Bridal  Veil." 

«  "Why  not!  "  inquired  Lee. 

"  They  thought  an  evil  spirit  was  hanging 
'round  it  all  the  time.  You  see,  up  there,  back 


140  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

of  the  place  where  the  water  breaks  over  the 
top  of  the  mountain  into  the  fall,  the  ground 
is  all  covered  with  a  queer  kind  of  moss.  In 
dry  weather  it's  perfectly  safe  for  a  man  to 
walk  right  across  it,  but  when  the  rains  begin 
to  fall  the  water  creeps  in  under  the  moss  and 
makes  it  'bout  the  most  slippery  place  in  the 
world.  When  the  Indians — specially  the  squaws 
— used  to  try  to  walk  across,  they'd  slip  and  lose 
their  footing,  and  then  the  first  thing  they'd 
know  they'd  find  themselves  carried  toward  the 
fall.  The  more  they  tried  to  stand  up  or  to  get 
away,  the  worse  they  would  slip,  and  then  over 
they  would  go,  and  they'd  be  carried  straight  to 
the  bottom — more  than  six  hundred  feet." 

"  Did  any  of  them  ever  complain  that  they 
were  hurt?  "  asked  Larcum. 

"  There  wouldn't  be  enough  of  'em  left  to 
try  that.  They  thought  there  was  an  evil  spirit 
up  there  and  he  got  hold  of  the  squaws  and 
just  carried  'em  over  the  fall.  Some  of  'em 
even  claimed  that  they  could  see  the  evil  spirit 
with  his  arms  all  spread  out,  standing  right 
there  behind  the  mist,  about  half-way  up  to  the 
top  of  the  falls  itself." 

11  Do  you  believe  they  did?  "  asked  Larcum, 
in  a  loud  whisper. 


INTO  TEE  VALLEY  141 

"  The  Indians  can  see  evil  spirits  where  a 
white  man  can't." 

"  So  I  have  heard, "  remarked  Larcum 
grimly;  "  but  I  guess  they  don't  usually  see 
them  before  the  white  men  come.  After  they 
have  poured  the  evil  spirits  into  the  Indian, 
the  red  man  can  see  almost  anything.  He  might 
be  able  to  see  that  elephant's  head  in  the  rock 
back  yonder  where  you  pointed  it  out  to  us. 
You  aren't  troubled  with  evil  spirits  yourself, 
are  you,  driver!  ' 

"  The  only  trouble  I  ever  have  with  them  is 
when  some  of  my  passengers  provide  them." 

"  The  keenness  of  your  ironical  thrusts  is 
Damascene,"  said  Larcum  soberly. 

"It's  what?  "  demanded  the  driver. 

But  Larcum  was  silent.  The  road  was  nearly 
level  now,  and  the  four  horses  drew  the  coach 
more  swiftly  over  the  sandy  road.  Great  tow 
ering  cliffs  and  numerous  waterfalls  on  either 
side  of  the  valley  absorbed  the  attention  of 
the  deeply  interested  passengers.  Far  before 
them  they  saw  a  mountain  whose  crest  was  hid 
den  by  clouds.  A  strange  formation  of  a  moun 
tain  far  ahead  was  noticed,  which  presented  the 
appearance  of  having  been  sharply  cut  in  two 
and  only  one  portion  left  standing. 


142  FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  YOSEMITE 

The  floor  of  the  valley  was  smooth,  and  its 
level  surface  was  covered  with  brilliant  flow 
ers  or  grass  of  a  deep  green  color.  Tall  trees 
were  in  abundance,  although  the  mountain-sides 
were  bare,  like  all  the  Sierras. 

The  exhilaration  and  interest  of  the  four 
boys  were  already  great,  but,  when  a  little  time 
later  they  obtained  their  first  glimpse  of  the 
Yosemite  Falls,  their  feelings  prevented  further 
conversation.  Over  the  brink  of  the  precipice 
the  white  waters  dashed  with  a  continuous  and 
deeply  musical  boom  that  sounded  throughout 
the  region.  Impressive  as  was  the  sight,  no 
one  had  given  expression  to  his  thoughts,  when 
at  last  the  sweating  horses  drew  the  coach 
alongside  the  piazza  of  the  Sentinel  Hotel.  As 
the  boys  leaped  from  their  seats,  eager  porters, 
with  brushes  in  their  hands,  greeted  the  trav 
elers  and  attempted  to  remove  a  part  at  least 
of  the  dust  that  had  settled  upon  every  one  in 
abundant  impartiality. 

As  he  threw  off  his  duster,  Larcum  turned 
sharply  as  some  one  spoke  to  him,  and  found 
himself  face  to  face  with  the  young  reporter 
who  had  so  deeply  interested  him  on  the  sleep 
ing-car  the  preceding  evening. 


CHAPTER  XH 

THE   SENTINEL 

"  I'M  here  before  you,  you  see,"  said  the  re 
porter  glibly. 

"  IVe  noticed  that  peculiarity  of  yours, " 
responded  Larcum  dryly. 

"It's  a  part  of  my  trade." 

"  Is  it?  I  fancy  that's  so.  I  haven't  been 
able  to  figure  it  out  how  you  happened  to  be  out 
there  at  that  train  robbery  almost  before  any 
of  us  were  there  ourselves." 

"  Can't  give  away  trade  secrets,"  laughed 
the  reporter  lightly.  To  Larcum  it  seemed  as 
if  the  young  man  was  a  trifle  uneasy  over  the 
remark,  but  afterward,  in  recalling  the  inter 
view,  he  was  not  positive  that  his  own  suspi 
cions  had  led  him  to  see  what  really  was  not 
there. 

"  Great  place  this,"  continued  the  young  re 
porter.  "  Ever  been  here  before?  " 

"No." 

"  Well,  there's  something  in  the  first  visit, 

143 


144  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

but  usually,  to  take  in  the  whole  effect,  one  has 
to  make  a  good  many  trips  to  the  Yosemite. 
You  can  spend  a  day  here  or  a  year,  and  every 
minute  will  have  something  new  in  it." 

"  Will  it?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  it  will.  This  is  my  fourth  visit. 
If  there  is  anything  I  can  do  for  you,  don't  fail 
to  let  me  know." 

"  Thank  you."  Larcum 's  manner  did  not  in 
dicate  that  he  was  unduly  impressed  by  the 
reporter's  volunteered  proffer,  but  he  said  no 
more,  as  he  turned  to  enter  the  office,  whither 
his  three  friends  had  preceded  him. 

"  Come  on,  Larc,  we've  got  our  rooms,"  said 
Scott,  as  Larcum  joined  the  group.  "  We  have 
four  rooms.  That's  what  we  gain  by  having  a 
railroad  man  in  our  party.  Your  telegram  did 
it." 

"I'm  glad  you  appreciate  it — at  last," 
said  Larcum  absently,  for  the  young  giant's 
thoughts  were  still  centered  upon  the  reporter, 
who  so  unexpectedly  had  been  the  first  to  greet 
him  upon  his  arrival  at  the  Sentinel  Hotel. 

Larcum  was  the  first  to  leave  his  room  and 
go  to  the  piazza  in  the  rear  of  the  hotel,  there 
to  await  the  coming  of  his  friends. 

In  a  brief  tune  the  three  boys  appeared,  and, 


THE  SENTINEL  145 

for  a  moment,  all  were  silent  as  they  gazed  at 
the  wonderful  Yosemite  Falls,  which  were  in 
plain  view  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley, 
only  a  half-mile  distant.  The  waters  were 
white  in  the  light  of  the  midday  sun,  and  the 
spray  was  almost  like  a  shining  cloud  that  pro 
vided  a  frame  for  the  marvelous  picture.  The 
boom  of  the  falling  waters  was  continuous,  in 
creasing  occasionally  as  what  seemed  to  be  an 
unusually  heavy  mass  of  water  struck  the  rocks 
beneath. 

As  Scott  glanced  up  at  the  lofty  top  of  the 
mountain  over  which  the  stream  was  steadily 
pouring,  he  said  solemnly,  "There's  one 
thing,  fellows,  that  impresses  me  most  of 
all  here." 

"  What's  that?  "  inquired  John. 

"  That  real  estate  must  be  very  high." 

"  If  that  isn't  New  York  for  all  the  world!  " 
growled  Larcum,  refusing  to  join  in  the  laugh 
that  greeted  his  companion's  words. 

"  You  aren't  impressed  by  the  grandeur  of 
that  sight.  All  you  can  think  of  is  money, 
money,  money!  You'd  like  to  buy  the  Yo 
semite  and  take  it  bodily  to  Coney  Island !  ' ' 

"  Never  mind,  Larkie,"  said  John  soothingly. 
"  If  Scott  can't  appreciate  the  place,  there  are 


146  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

others  that  can.  I  was  reading  yesterday  that 
Kalph  Waldo  Emerson  said,  '  This  is  the  only 
spot  I  have  ever  found  that  came  up  to  the 
brag.'  " 

"  That's  slang,"  retorted  Scott  scornfully. 
"  Did  Emerson  use  slang?  " 

"  That's  not  slang— that's  the  truth,"  re 
torted  John.  "  Can't  you  tell  the  differ 
ence?  ' 

"  Look  at  the  Merced,"  suggested  Lee,  point 
ing  to  the  swift  stream  directly  beneath  them. 
"  See  the  trout?  " 

"  I  can  see  them,  but  the  sight  doesn't  do  me 
any  good,"  said  Scott.  "  We're  out  of  season, 
and  can't  do  any  fishing." 

"  Suppose  you  can't?  "  said  Larcum;  "  can't 
you  find  any  fun  in  watching  the  trout?  Do 
you  think  the  only  thing  a  trout  is  good  for  is 
to  be  browned  and  served  for  your  breakfast! 
It's  bad  enough  to  come  into  the  Yosemite  and 
not  be  able  to  see  anything  but  real  estate,  but 
to  come  here  and  watch  the  mountain  trout  in 
their  native  lair ' 

"  '  Native  lair  '  is  good,  Larc,"  broke  in 
Scott  laughingly. 

' '  Well,  where  they  belong,  then — I  don 't  care 
what  you  call  it.  A  gun  or  a  fishing-rod 


THE  SENTINEL  147 

wouldn't  help  me  any.  I  don't  thirst  for  blood. 
I  can  appreciate  the  beauty  of  wild  life.  Now, 
just  look  at  those  two  divers,"  Larcum  added 
hastily,  pointing  as  he  spoke  at  two  brilliant- 
hued  divers  that  were  swiftly  approaching,  be 
ing  borne  by  the  rapid  current.  "  There  they 
go !  "  he  added  excitedly,  as  the  two  birds  dove 
and  still  could  be  seen  through  the  clear  water 
as  they  sought  their  food  on  the  bottom  of  the 
stream.  "  Up  they  come!  "  he  said,  as  the 
birds  together  came  to  the  surface,  and  then, 
with  vigorous  paddling,  began  to  make  their 
way  upstream,  moving  steadily  against  the 
swift  current. 

"  That's  right,  Larc,"  joined  in  John. 
"  Why  a  man  should  want  to  break  a  leg  or 
a  wing  of  such  pretty  little  creatures,  I  never 
was  able  to  understand.  I'd  a  hundred  times 
rather  see  them  on  the  river.  They're  just  like 
boys — see  them!  They  go  up  the  stream  and 
then  come  down  on  the  current.  Look  at  them ! 
They  must  be  coasting  at  the  rate  of  twenty 
miles  an  hour!  " 

"  That's  what  it  is  to  be  born  without  a  drop 
of  sporting  blood  in  one's  veins,"  retorted 
Scott. 

"  '  Sport?  '     What   sport   can   there   be  in 


148  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

hurting    such    beautiful    creatures?  "    asked 
John. 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  just  the  hurting.  Nobody  wants 
to  hurt  them." 

"  What  is  it,  then?  What  do  you  want  to 
shoot  a  bird  for?  What  fun  can  there  be  in 
seeing  a  fish  fight  for  his  life !  That 's  what  he 
is  doing,  isn't  it,  when  he  has  swallowed  your 
hook?  " 

"  I  suppose  so;  but  a  fish  doesn't  suffei 
any,"  declared  Scott. 

61  How  do  you  know?  " 

"  They're  cold-blooded  animals.  They  don't 
feel  pain." 

"  So's  a  fisherman  or  a  hunter.  Do  they  feel 
pain  if  a  gun  goes  off  by  accident  and  blows 
off  a  hand?  Does  a  cold-blooded  fisherman  feel 
any  pain  if  his  hook  happens  to  catch  in  his 
thumb?  " 

"  You  draw  it  too  fine,  Jack,"  laughed  Scott 
good-naturedly.  "  It  seems  to  be  the  way  of 
the  world.  There!  Look  at  that,  will  you!  ' 
he  added,  with  a  shout.  "  Those  gentle  little 
divers!  See  them  there  on  the  shore!  They're 
after  that  poor  little  innocent  frog.  They've 
got  him,  too!  See  them!  They're  just  pound 
ing  the  life  out  of  his  frogship.  Don't  talk  to 


THE  SENTINEL  149 

me  if  they  sometimes  get  caught  at  their  own 
game.  They're  trying  to  do  to  others  what 
others  are  doing  to  them." 

"  They're  only  birds.  Men  know  better  what 
is  right." 

"  Quit  your  talking.  Come  on  down  to  the 
dining-room.  I  'm  hungry  as  a  bear, ' '  suggested 
Larcum. 

"  Just  wait  a  minute,"  persisted  Scott.  "  If 
you  two  fellows  will  agree  not  to  touch  a 
mouthful  of  meat  or  chicken  or  fish,  I'll  go  with 
you.  You  know  that  it  hurt  the  fish " 

"  We'll  wait  and  see  how  good  they  are  first," 
laughed  Larcum. 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,"  said  John.  "  Let's  get 
one  more  view  of  the  valley  and  these  wonder 
ful  falls.  A  writer  from  New  York  once  said, 

*  I  might  as  well  try  to  measure  a  rainbow  with 
a  two-foot  rule  as  to  take  this  in.'  " 

"  If  that's  the  way  a  New  Yorker  felt  about 
it,  then  I  reckon  there  isn't  much  left  for  the  rest 
of  us, ' '  said  Lee.  "  I  'm  ready  for  luncheon. ' ' 

"  Garfield  said,  '  No  one  can  study  this  val 
ley  and  its  surroundings  without  being  broader- 
minded  thereafter,'  "  continued  John.  "  I  re 
call,  too,  that  Taylor  wrote  of  the  Yosemite: 

*  You  hear  the  winds  intoning  in  the  choral 


150  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

galleries  a  mile  above  your  head ;  you  hear  the 
crash  of  water  as  of  cataracts  in  the  sky;  you 
trample  upon  broad  shadows  that  have  fallen 
thousands  of  feet  down,  like  the  cast-off  gar 
ments  of  descending  night— 

"Enough!  Enough!"  broke  in  Scott. 
"Magnificent!  Sublime!  Sounds  like  Lee's 
oration  for  the  sophomore  prize. " 

"It  is  certainly  very  pretty,'7  said  Lee  so 
berly. 

Scott,  in  silence,  looked  at  his  friend  who  had 
just  spoken,  and  then  said  abruptly:  "  Come 
on,  fellows!  After  this  we'll  need  luncheon." 

As  the  four  boys  quickly  descended  the  stair 
way  and  came  to  the  piazza  in  front  of  the 
hotel,  they  all  stopped  abruptly  as  a  band  of 
a  half-dozen  Indian  women  passed  in  the  road. 
The  squaws  were  all  short  and  fat,  and  not 
very  prepossessing  in  their  appearance,  as  they 
stolidly  kept  on  their  way  without  even  glanc 
ing  at  the  groups  that  were  interested  in  their 
passing. 

"  They're  Diggers,"  suggested  the  reporter, 
who  now  promptly  joined  the  four  boys. 

"  Digger  Indians?  "  inquired  John. 

"What  did  you  think,  Jack?"  laughed 
Scott.  "  Did  you  take  them  for  Digger  Mo- 


THE  SENTINEL  151 

hammedans  ?  Or  did  you  think  they  were  Dig 
ger  Bussians?  ' 

"  They  aren't  very  attractive,  any  way, "  re 
plied  John.  "  Why  are  they  '  Diggers  '?  " 

' t  They  live  mostly  on  roots,  acorns,  and  such 
things,"  explained  the  reporter. 

"  Well,  there's  one  thing  I'm  thankful  for," 
said  Lee,  as  he  watched  the  departing  Indians. 

"  Only  one?    What's  that?  "  laughed  Scott. 

"  Do  you  recall  those  great  bunches  of  mis 
tletoe  we  passed  this  morning  on  our  way  into 
the  valley?  " 

"  Yes.    What  of  them?  " 

"  Just  fancy  meeting  one  of  those  squaws 
under  one  of  the  biggest  of  those  bunches  of 
mistletoe,"  said  Lee,  so  solemnly  that  his 
friends  all  laughed. 

"What  I'm  thinking  of/'  said  John,  "is 
what  I've  read  about  the  uplifting  effects  of 
magnificent  scenery  on  the  human  mind." 

"  I  didn't  know  there  was  any  i  magnificent 
scenery  on  the  human  mind,'  "  said  Scott 
solemnly. 

"  You  know  what  I  mean,"  retorted  John. 
'  '  I  mean  the  effect  on  the  mind  of  magnificent 
scenery." 

"I'm  still  puzzled,  Jack,"  said  Scott,  shak- 


152  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

ing  his  head.  "  I  didn't  know  that  magnificent 
scenery  had  any  human  mind." 

1 1  You  know  what  I  mean !  ' 

"  How  can  I?    I  know  only  what  you  said." 

"  Well,  I'll  try  to  say  what  I  mean,  then. 
The  effect  which  the  sight  of  magnificent  scen 
ery  produces  upon  the  human  mind." 

"  You're  doing  better,  though  I  don't  know 
that  I've  ever  come  in  contact  with  any  other 
kind  of  a  mind  than  '  human.'  What  other 
kinds  are  there,  Jack!  ' 

Ignoring  the  bantering  of  his  friend,  John 
continued :  ' '  Now,  if  it  is  true  that  great  moun 
tains  have  an  uplifting  effect  upon  the  people 
that  behold  them,  please  tell  me  why  those  In 
dian  women  we  saw  just  now  are  so  degraded 
and  unattractive?  I  can't  reason  it  out.  By 
rights  they  ought  to  be  beautiful." 

"  Perhaps  they  are — in  somebody's  eyes," 
suggested  the  reporter.  "  The  original  Yosem- 
ite  Indians,  however,  bear  out  your  theory. 
They  were  wonderfully  brave  and  high-minded, 
and  all  that;  I  think  one  of  the  most  pathetic 
things  I  know  is  the  old  Yosemite  custom  of 
burying  their  dead." 

"  What  was  that?  "  inquired  John. 

"  I'll  tell  you  sometime  while  you  are  here. 


THE  SENTINEL  153 

You're  in  too  great  haste  for  your  luncheon 
now.  By  the  way,  you  wouldn't  think  there 
were  fifteen  feet  of  snow  in  that  little  cottage 
up  the  street  yonder,  would  you?  " 

"  Fifteen  feet?     Now?  "  demanded  John. 

"  This  very  minute,"  replied  the  reporter 
seriously.  "  I  can  prove  it  to  you.  Want  me 
to?" 

"  Yes,  I  do.  If  you  can  prove  it,  I'll  give 
you  the  best  dinner  to-night  you  ever  had — or, 
rather,  I'll  treat  you  to  the  best  the  hotel  can 
afford." 

"  All  right." 

"Not  for  me,"  said  Larcum;  "I'm  for 
lunching. ' ' 

"  Go  ahead,  Larc.  Save  a  place  at  the  table 
for  me,"  said  John.  "I'm  going  to  see  this 
fifteen  feet  of  snow  first.  Why,  the  little  house 
itself  isn't  much  higher  than  that." 

"  All  the  same,  there  are  fifteen  feet  of  snow 
inside,"  said  the  reporter  glibly.  "HI  don't 
prove  it  to  you,  then  I'll  provide  the  dinner  for 
the  whole  party  to-night." 

"  Come  ahead,"  said  John*  quickly,  as  he 
started  across  the  street. 

"  It  won't  take  but  a  minute,  anyway." 

"  Talk  about  Jack's  wonderful  mind,"  said 


154  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Larcuni,  as  he  stopped  a  moment  to  watch  his 
friend  and  the  reporter.  ' '  He  can  tell  to  a 
dot  how  many  parasangs  Clearchus  marched  in 
a  day,  but  he's  the  easiest  -mark  in  the  Yosem- 
ite  to-day.  He'll  feel  pretty  cheap  when  he 
comes  back.  Let's  go  into  the  dining-room." 

A  few  minutes  afterward  John  and  the  re 
porter  entered  and  seated  themselves  at  the 
table  where  the  three  boys  were  already  busily 
engaged. 

"  How  is  it,  Jack?  "  asked  Lee.  "  Did  you 
see  fifteen  feet  of  snow  in  that  house?  " 

"  I  did,"  replied  John  soberly. 


CHAPTEE 

AN   INTEKRUPTED   QUOTATION 

FOE  a  moment  John's  three  friends  gazed  at 
him  as  if  they  were  puzzled  by  his  sober  reply 
to  Lee's  question. 

"  What's  the  joke,  Jack!  "  asked  Scott 
lightly. 

"  i  Joke!  '  I  saw  fifteen  feet  of  snow  inside 
that  house.  If  there's  any  joke  about  it,  you'll 
have  to  find  it  for  yourselves." 

"  Will  you  take  me  over  to  see  it?  "  asked 
Lee. 

66  Certainly,"  replied  John.  "  You  can  see 
it  for  yourself  as  well  as  I  did."  When  lunch 
eon  had  been  eaten,  Lee  insisted  upon  going 
with  John  to  see  the  strange  sight  of  fifteen 
feet  of  snow  inside  a  little  house,  which  itself 
was  not  much,  if  any,  higher  than  the  supposed 
depth  of  the  snow. 

"  Better  not  go,  Lee,"  suggested  Larcum. 
11  You're  too  easy." 

Lee,  however,  was  not  moved  from  his  pur- 

155 


156  FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  70S E MITE 

pose,  and  at  once  accompanied  John  across  the 
street  to  the  little  cottage.  Before  five  min 
utes  had  elapsed  he  returned,  and,  as  he  joined 
his  friends  who  were  seated  on  the  piazza,  he 
laughingly  said:  "  You're  right,  Larc;  I  might 
have  saved  myself,  but  I  didn't  once  sus 
pect  that  Jack  would  put  up  any  game  on 
me." 

"  What  did  you  see,  Lee?  "  asked  Scott 

"  I  saw  fifteen  feet  of  snow." 

"  Then  where  does  the  joke  come  in?  " 

"  You  might  go  over  and  see  for  yourself," 

"  No,  thank  you." 

"  Then  I'll  tell  you.  I  saw  Mr.  Snow,  who 
is  five  feet  nine;  Mrs.  Snow,  who  is  five  feet 
three;  and  little  Tommy  Snow,  who  is  four 
feet  one.  Altogether  that  makes  fifteen  feet  of 
the  Snow  family,  doesn't  it?  " 

"  Hold  on  to  me,  fellows!  "  shouted  Larcum, 
as  he  leaped  from  his  chair.  "  That  is  the 
hugest  piece  of  funny  business  I've  seen  since 
I  was  a  boy.  I  know  my  buttons  will  go,  and 
I'll  be  threatened  with  that  inextinguishable 
laughter  I  remember  reading  about  in  Homer. 
I  tell  you,  Jack,  that's  better  than  the  para- 
sangs  of  Clearchus.  You  hold  me  tight  or  I'll 
not  answer  for  the  consequences." 


AN  INTERRUPTED  QUOTATION   157 

"  I  saw  a  little  house  once  that  covered  five 
acres,"  said  Scott. 

"  Was  it  in  New  York?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  It  was.7' 

"  Go  on  with  your  story,  Scott." 

"I've  told  you  the  truth." 

"  You  mean  you've  done  your  best." 

"  I  mean  what  I  say." 

"  That's  easy,  Scott,"  said  John. 

"Is  it?  Then  you  might  explain  it,"  sug 
gested  Larcum. 

i  i  Scott  means  that  the  house  belonged  to  Mr. 
Acre.  It  covers  Mr.  Acre,  Mrs.  Acre,  and  prob 
ably  three  little  Acres,"  said  John. 

"Certainly!  How  cute!  Splendid!  More!" 
cried  Larcum.  "  Now,  fellows,  all  I've  got  to 
say  is  that,  if  you  keep  on  with  this,  then  I'm 
going  to  do  my  traveling  alone.  I  can  stand 
parasangs  and  things,  but  I  won't  be  compelled 
to  listen  to  witty  remarks.  Neither  my  delicate 
constitution  nor  my  buttons  will  stand  such  a 
strain  as  that." 

"  Look  yonder!  "  said  Scott  quickly,  point 
ing  to  some  Indians.  "  There  are  those  squaws 
coming  back  again." 

"  They  look  about  as  poetic,  as  the  reporter 
said,  as  your  jokes  look  funny." 


158  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

No  one  spoke  while  the  five  short,  squat  In 
dian  women  passed,  without  even  glancing  at 
the  boys.  Sullen,  discouraged,  and  hopeless  the 
bearing  of  every  one  appeared  to  be. 

"  To  me  that  sight  is  tragic, "  said  John,  as 
he  watched  the  departing  band.  "  This  place 
was  their  home  once " 

"  Yes,"  interrupted  Larcum;  "  right  here 
they  could  swiftly  pursue  the  fleeing  snails; 
here  they  might,  with  their  fingers,  dig  up  the 
fat  and  juicy  worm;  in  this  very  valley  they 
could  pounce  upon  the  fierce  and  savage  grass 
hopper,  and  in  each  and  every  way  thus  secure 
choice  bits  of  food.  Bah!  What's  the  use  in 
being  sentimental?  You  wouldn't  have  the  coy 
otes  here  for  pets,  would  you?  You  wouldn't 
give  the  rattlers  freedom  to  roam  the  valleys? 
You  don't  believe  buffaloes  are  better  to  have 
on  the  plains  than  cattle,  do  you?  " 

11  All  the  same,  the  Yosemite  Indians  were 
a  fine  lot,"  said  the  reporter.  "  I  started  to 
tell  you  about  them  before  luncheon,  you  know. 
They  made  a  brave  fight  against  the  whites, 
who  finally  drove  them  out.  Some  of  the  most 
exciting  Indian  stories  I  ever  read  were  those 
of  the  Yosemites.  There  was  old  Tenieya,  the 
last  chief  of  the  tribe — why,  he  put  up  a  fight 


AN  INTERRUPTED  QUOTATION   159 

that  was  as  patriotic  and  as  brave  as  anything 
I  ever  read  in  Greek  history.  There  was " 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  Clearchus?  "  inter 
rupted  Larcum  soberly. 

"  Yes.    What  about  him?  " 

"  How  many  parasangs  could  he  do  in  a 
day!  " 

"  I  don't  know.     Why?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing.  All  I  meant  was  that  I  didn't 
intend  to  stand  by  and  hear  that  this  old  chap, 
Tenieya,  belonged  to  the  same  class  with  my  old 
friend  Clearchus.  No,  sir.  By  no  means,  and 
then  some  more!  What  did  this  Ten — Ten — 
what  do  you  call  him — do?  " 

"  He  died  for  his  tribe." 

"  These  Indians  we  have  seen  here  don't  look 
as  if  dying  would  be  very  hard.  They  look  to 
me  as  if  they  thought  living  was  'most  too 
much  of  a  contract  for  them." 

"  What  about  the  poetry  of  the  Yosem- 
ites?  "  asked  John. 

11  Now,  see  here,  I  can  stand  a  good  deal, 
but  you'll  have  to  excuse  me.  I  came  into  the 

Yosemite  Valley  to  see  its  grand  sights " 

began  Larcum. 

"  That's  right,  Larc,"  interrupted  John. 
"  Horace  Greeley  said:  *  Of  the  grandest  sights 


160  FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  YO SEMITE 

I  have  enjoyed — Eome  from  the  dome  of  St. 
Peter's,  the  Alps  from  the  valley  of  Lake 
Como,  Mont  Blanc  and  her  glaciers  from 
Chamouni,  Niagara  and  the  Yosemite — I  judge 
the  last  named  the  most  unique  and  stupen 
dous.'  " 

"  Good  for  Horace!  I  always  thought  he 
had  good  sense.  Not  that  I  ever  met  him " 

"  Probably  not,  seeing  that  he  had  been  dead 
about  a  dozen  years  when  you  were  born.  But, 
as  I  was  about  to  remark,  Starr  King  once  said : 
'  Nowhere  among  the  Alps,  in  no  pass  of  the 
Andes,  and  in  no  canon  of  the  mighty  Oregon 
range,  is  there  such  stupendous  rock  scenery 
as  the  traveler  here  lifts  his  eyes  to.'  " 

"  Look  here,  now,  Jack  Field,  I've  never 
harmed  you.  I  don't  see  why  you  insist  upon 
doing  me  this  way ' 

"  That  reminds  me,"  broke  in  John,  "  that 
Samuel  Bowles,  the  great  editor  of  the  Spring 
field  Republican — the  best  paper  published  out 
side  of  Boston " 

"  Jack  Field,  your  consummate,  concen 
trated,  contumacious  conceit  is  beyond  all  that 
a  man  of  ordinary  intelligence  cai  stand! 
1  Best  paper  outside  of  Boston!  '  Don't  you 
know  the  best  newspapers  in  the  wide  world 


AN  INTERRUPTED  QUOTATION   161 

are  the   Chicago   dailies?      Everybody  knows 
that." 

"  Not  if  he  lives  where  he  can  see  the  New 
York  papers,"  said  Scott. 

"  I  reckon  you-all  never  saw  Atlanta  or 
Charleston  or  New  Orleans  papers,"  broke  in 
Lee.  "  Why,  sir,  everybody  knows  that  there 
isn't  anything  like  them  in  America." 

"  Keep  still.  Let  me  talk.  Let  me  get  a 
word  in  once  in  a  while, ' '  resumed  John.  1 1  As 
I  was  saying,  the  great  editor,  Samuel  Bowles, 
wrote  about  this  place:  '  The  overpowering 
sense  of  the  sublime,  of  awful  desolation,  of 
transcendent  marvelousness  and  unexpected 
ness  that  swept  over  us,  as  we  reined  our  horses 
sharply  out  of  green  forests,  and  stood  upon 
a  high  jutting  rock  that  overlooked  this  rolling, 
upheaving  sea  of  granite  mountains,  holding 
far  down  in  its  rough  lap  the  vale  of  meadow 
and  grove  and  river — such  a  tide  of  feeling, 
such  stoppage  of  ordinary  emotions  comes  at 
rare  intervals  in  any  life.  It  was  the  conf rontal 
of  God  face  to  face,  as  in  great  danger  or  sud 
den  death.  It  was  Niagara  multiplied.  All  that 
was  mortal  shrank  back;  all  that  was  im 
mortal  swept  to  the  front  and  bowed  down 
in  awe/  " 


162  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

11  Who  said  that,  Jack?  "  demanded  Larcum 
sharply. 

"  Samuel  Bowles,  the  great  traveler  and 
editor  of  the  great " 

"  He  said  he  felt  as  if  he  was  in  great  dan 
ger,  did  he?  " 

"  He  said  that  was  his  first  feeling  when  he 
saw  the  Yosemite." 

"  Well,  let  me  tell  you,  my  little  Bostonian, 
that  he  isn't  the  only  one  to  have  that  feeling. 
You'll  have  it,  too,  if  you  dare  quote  what  an 
other  great  man  said  about  the  Yosemite!  I'll 
throw  you  into  the  Merced  River!  Then  you'll 
know  more  about (  the  awful  desolation  and  the 
transcendent  marvelousness  and  unexpected 
ness  '  than  you  ever  dreamed  of  before." 

"  All  right.  Have  it  your  own  way," 
laughed  John.  "I'm  just  giving  you  the  bene 
fit  of  all  my  careful  reading  before  we  started 
on  this  trip.  H.  H.,  in  '  Bits  of  Travel,' 
said,  '  An  indescribable  delight  took  posses 
sion  of  me;  the  silence  semed  more  than 
silence '  " 

"Hold  on  there!"  roared  Larcum,  as  he 
leaped  from  his  seat  and  seized  John  in  his 
arms.  "  i  An  indescribable  delight  got  hold  of 
him,'  did  it?  Well,  I  never  have  been  called 


AN  INTERRUPTED  QUOTATION    163 

by  that  name  before,  but  what's  in  a  name,  any 
way?  What  did  I  tell  you  would  happen  to  you 
if  you  quoted  the  words  of  another  man  about 
the  Yo Semite  Valley?  " 

"  '  H.  H.'  wasn't  a  man,"  gasped  John, 
struggling  helplessly  in  the  arms  of  the  young 
giant. 

"  Oh,  he  wasn't  a  man?  What  was  he, 
then?  " 

"  '  H.  H.'  was  a  woman — Helen  Hunt — Helen 
Hunt  Jackson.  You  told  me  not  to  quote  an 
other  man,  so  I  didn't.  She  was  a  woman. 
*  Bits  of  Travel  '  is  an  old  book,  but  I  suppose 
it  isn  't  known  yet  in  Chicago.  Let  me  go !  Put 
me  down!  ' 

"  Be  good  then." 

As  soon  as  John  was  released  he  began  again : 
"  l  The  silence  seemed  more  than  silence;  it 
seemed  to  quiver  with  sound  just  as  the  warm 
air  shimmered  without  stir  along  all  the  out 
lines  of  the  rocky  walls.  On  my  left  rose  the 
granite  watch  tower,  Sentinel  Kock;  on  my 
right,  the  colossal  buttress,  El  Capitan.  The 
Cathedral  Spires,  the  Three  Brothers — all 
were  in  full  sight.  Wherever  I  stood  the  moun 
tain  walls  seemed  to  shut  close  around  me  in  a 
circle.  All  sense  of  estimated  distance  was 


164  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

swallowed  up,  obliterated,  by  the  feeling  of 

what  seemed  to  be  immeasurable  height ' 

Oh!" 

John  got  no  farther  in  his  quotation,  for, 
with  a  bound,  Larcum  was  upon  him.  Seizing 
the  irrepressible  quoter,  he  bore  him  quickly  to 
the  bank  of  the  Merced,  directly  behind  the  ho 
tel.  Laughing,  the  other  boys  followed  and 
loudly  approved  as  the  young  giant,  holding 
John  by  his  hand,  lowered  him  toward  the  wa 
ter  below.  The  water  here  was  not  deep, 
though  the  current  farther  out  in  the  stream 
was  swift. 

11  Now,  then,  you  Bostonian  chatterer  of 
other  people's  words,  do  you  feel  as  if  an  '  in 
describable  delight  had  seized  you  '!  " 

' '  Yes !  Yes !  ' '  replied  John.  l  i  Pull  me  up ; 
you'll  let  me  fall  into  the  water!  " 

Ignoring  the  request,  Larcum  said:  "Does 
i  the  silence  seem  to  be  more  than  silence  91 
Does  it  '  quiver  with  sound  '  ?  " 

"Yes!    Yes!" 

"  '  Is  all  sense  of  estimated  distance  swal 
lowed  up?  '  " 

"Yes!  It  is!  Pull  me  up,  Larc!  "  pleaded 
John. 

"  Do  you  '  hear  the  winds  intoning  in  the 


AN  INTERRUPTED  QUOTATION   165 

choral  galleries  a  mile  above  your  head  ' — a  la 
Benj.  F.  Taylor!  " 

66  I  do.    Look  out,  Larc,  you'll  let  me  drop !  ' 

"  Do  you  share  Horace  Greeley's  feeling  of 
the  '  isolation  '  of  the  Yosemite!  Do  you  feel 
the  '  absolute  wilderness  of  its  sylvan  soli 
tudes  '!  " 

"  Yes!  Yes!  And  a  whole  lot  of  things  be 
sides!  " 

"  Do  you  still  intend  to  tell  us  on  every 
possible  and  impossible  occasion  of  the  '  tran 
scendent  marvelousness  '  and  the  '  awful  deso 
lation  ' f  " 

"  Never  again.    Now  let  me  up,  Larc." 

"  Where  is  the  best  newspaper  in  America 
published!  " 

"  Boston!  " 

"  Where?  ?>  demanded  Larcum,  as  he  low 
ered  his  friend  until  John's  feet  touched  the 
waters  beneath  him.  "  I  don't  know  that  I  just 
caught  your  answer.  Where  did  you  say  the 
best  papers  are!  " 

6 '  Bost-  No !  No !  In  Chicago !  ' '  John 
hastily  corrected  himself,  as  Larcum  suddenly 
permitted  him  to  feel  the  water  on  his  feet. 

"  You're  improving.  Do  you  know  any  more 
quotations!  " 


166  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Yes." 

"  That's  bad.  Do  you  now  freely,  volun 
tarily,  of  your  own  will  and  desire,  solemnly 
promise  never  again,  by  word  or  act,  to  refer 
to  them?  Do  you  likewise  cheerfully,  enthusi 
astically,  without  malice  and  free  from  all  guile, 
solemnly  declare  and  affirm  in  the  presence  of 
these  witnesses  that  never  again  will  you  de 
cry,  belittle,  defame,  or  otherwise  attempt  to 
cast  any  slur  on  my  home  town?  Speak  up  so 
that  all  can  hear." 

John's  reply  was  lost,  however;  for  suddenly 
Larcum  lost  his  foothold,  and  instantly  both 
boys  were  struggling  in  the  swift  current  of  the 
cold  and  treacherous  Merced. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IN   THE   TORRENT 

BEFORE  either  of  their  companions  fully  re 
alized  the  extent  of  the  mishap,  both  Larcum 
and  John  were  borne  around  the  bend  in  the 
stream.  The  young  giant  was  an  expert  swim 
mer,  but  his  companion  in  misery  was  not  able 
to  swim  a  stroke.  In  places  the  water  was  deep, 
and  John  was  carried  swiftly  through  them 
down  the  stream.  As  he  gained  the  shallower 
water,  he  struggled  desperately  to  obtain  a 
foothold,  but  the  tumbling  waters  drove  him 
hard  against  the  rocks,  and  again  he  was  swept 
forward,  helpless,  in  the  torrent. 

Larcum  merely  tried  to  guide  himself  in  the 
swift  waters,  and,  as  the  current  bore  him  in 
toward  the  shore,  he  seized  some  of  the  pro 
jecting  bushes,  and,  though  several  times  he 
lost  his  footing,  he  held  on  desperately,  and  at 
last  succeeded  in  gaining  the  bank  which  was 
opposite  the  one  from  which  he  had  started. 

Breathlessly  the  young  giant  shook  himself, 

167 


168   FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

much  as  a  dog  does  after  a  plunge,  and  then 
instantly  turned  to  discover  what  had  become 
of  John.  In  a  moment  he  saw  his  friend  whirl 
ing  and  turning  in  the  tumbling  stream,  and 
instantly  Larcum  began  to  run  along  the  bank. 

' '  Help !  "  he  shouted.  ' t  Come  and  help  me ! 
Get  a  pole !  Get  a  rope !  Come  on  and  do  some 
thing!  " 

Without  waiting  to  ascertain  the  result  of 
his  appeal,  he  continued  his  pursuit  of  his  com 
rade,  though  the  swiftness  of  John's  movements 
in  the  water  was  greater  than  his  own  on  the 
bank.  Apparently  John  was  helpless.  He 
rolled  and  tossed  in  the  warring  stream,  but  as 
yet  not  one  cry  had  been  heard  from  him.  The 
very  silence  increased  the  alarm  of  Larcum, 
and  he  sped  forward  with  redoubled  efforts. 
The  bend  in  the  stream  enabled  him  to  gain 
upon  his  helpless  friend,  and  in  a  brief  time 
Larcum  was  standing  on  the  bank  where  the 
river  was  much  narrower,  and  manifestly  the 
current  made  closer  inshore. 

' '  Work  your  way  toward  this  bank,  John 
nie !  "  implored  the  young  giant,  as  he  saw  his 
friend  approaching.  When  no  response  to  his 
cry  came  from  John,  and  he  saw  that  appar 
ently  his  friend  was  either  unconscious  or  com- 


r 


INSTANTLY  BOTH  BOYS  WERE  STRUGGLING  IN  THE  SWIFT  CURRENT. 

Page  166. 


IN  THE  TORRENT  169 

pletely  helpless,  Larcum's  terror  increased. 
There  was  no  time  for  accusing  himself.  If 
John  was  to  be  saved,  Larcum  realized  that  he 
himself  must  act  and  at  once.  At  his  feet  on 
the  bank  he  saw  a  long,  slender  pole.  Instantly 
seizing  it  he  leaned  far  forward  as  he  held  it 
out  into  the  stream.  It  was  long  enough  to  en 
able  John  to  reach  it,  and  Larcum  shouted  en 
couragingly:  "  Here,  Jack!  Grab  the  pole! 
Grab  it!  I'll  pull  you  ashore!  " 

A  low  cry  escaped  Larcum's  lips  when  he 
saw  John  swept  past  the  place  without  making 
any  effort  to  seize  the  pole.  A  fresh  fear  now 
seized  upon  the  frightened  rescuer.  Was  John 
drowned?  If  he  was  still  conscious,  why  had 
he  not  made  use  of  the  friendly  means  of  res 
cue?  Stifling  the  groan  that  almost  escaped 
him,  Larcum  instantly  turned  and  ran  with 
increased  speed  down  the  bank  of  the  roaring 
Merced.  Another  slight  bend  in  the  stream  was 
just  before  him,  and,  rushing  across  the  point, 
Larcum  regained  the  bank  just  as  John  drew 
near.  Indeed,  to  the  frenzied  Larcum,  it  al 
most  seemed  that  the  helpless  boy  would  be 
swept  past  him  before  he  himself  could  gain 
the  bank. 

Without  hesitating  a  moment,  Larcum  leaped 


170   FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

into  the  river,  but  found  himself  too  far  behind 
John  to  be  able  to  grasp  him.  Desperately  the 
young  giant  began  to  swim  with  the  current. 
The  roar  of  the  stream  sounded  in  his  ears  like 
the  crash  of  many  waterfalls.  The  bank  was 
rushing  past  him  with  the  speed  of  the  wind. 
Unheeding,  almost  unmindful  of,  his  surround 
ings,  Larcum  was  carried  swiftly  forward. 
Just  before  his  outstretched  hand  was  the  sight 
of  John,  who  apparently  was  unaware  of  the 
desperate  efforts  his  friend  was  making  to  res 
cue  him.  With  another  mighty  attempt  Lar 
cum  managed  to  grasp  the  coat  of  his  comrade, 
but  for  the  moment  all  he  could  do  was  to  draw 
John  closer,  and  then  the  two  boys  were  borne 
onward  together.  A  huge  rock  bruised  the  leg 
of  the  young  giant,  but  he  was  not  mindful  of 
any  pain.  His  one  purpose  now  was  to  keep 
John's  head  above  the  water.  The  tossing 
waves  almost  blinded  his  eyes.  The  roar  of  the 
river  seemed  to  increase,  and  then  Larcum  felt 
himself  thrown  heavily  against  some  projecting 
object.  Still  clinging  with  his  left  arm  to  John, 
almost  instinctively  he  threw  up  his  right  arm 
and  grasped  the  object  before  him.  He  realized 
that  it  was  the  trunk  of  a  small  tree,  not  more 
than  five  or  six  inches  in  diameter,  projecting 


IN  THE  TORRENT  171 

from  the  shore  into  the  current.  The  roots  had 
been  broken  and  upturned  on  the  bank,  and,  as 
Larcum  half -blindly  became  aware  of  the  con 
dition,  his  momentary  feeling  of  relief  was 
shaken  by  a  great  fear  that  the  broken  roots 
would  not  be  able  to  stand  the  added  strain. 

In  a  moment  Larcum  found  that  he  could 
easily  place  his  feet  on  the  bottom  of  the  stream 
and  that  the  water  scarcely  was  waist-high. 
The  bottom,  however,  was  covered  over  with 
worn,  round  stones,  and  at  first  to  gain  a  foot 
hold  seemed  almost  impossible,  for  the  rushing 
current  was  so  strong  that  even  the  young  giant 
found  it  difficult  to  stand. 

4 '  Come  over  here !  Come  and  help !  "  he 
shouted,  although  he  was  not  positive  that  any 
one  could  hear  his  hoarse  cry  above  the  roar  of 
the  angry  Merced. 

Lifting  John  so  that  the  helpless  boy's  head 
rested  upon  his  shoulder,  the  young  giant 
pulled  upon  the  projecting  trunk.  As  he  came 
closer  to  it  he  suddenly  relaxed  his  grasp  and 
succeeded  in  seizing  the  trunk  once  more,  this 
time  a  few  inches  nearer  the  shore. 

"  Lucky  I'm  on  the  upper  side  of  this  trunk," 
he  muttered,  as  he  shook  the  water  from  his 
eyes  and  prepared  to  move  forward  again. 


172  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  If  I  was  on  the  other  side,  I  couldn't  hold  to 
the  log  with  this  current  pulling  against  me.  I 
wonder ' 

Larcum  stopped  abruptly  as  the  sound  of  a 
human  voice  came  to  him.  Whether  it  was  from 
upstream  or  down,  or  was  the  call  of  one  of 
his  friends,  he  could  not  perceive.  Again  the 
cry  was  heard,  and,  believing  that  it  was  for 
him,  Larcum  abandoned  his  effort  to  gain  the 
shore  and  simply  clung  to  the  position  he  was 
holding.  John's  face  was  above  the  water,  but 
the  boy  was  unable  to  aid  his  rescuer.  Indeed, 
Larcum  was  not  certain  that  his  friend  now 
was  aware  of  what  was  occurring.  Was  John 
drowned?  The  startling  suggestion  caused  him 
to  look  earnestly  into  the  face  of  the  helpless 
boy.  The  dashing  waters  covered  them  both 
with  their  spray,  and  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  be  sure. 

Again  the  call  or  cry  was  heard,  and  this 
time  there  was  no  question  as  to  its  direction, 
for  plainly  it  came  from  below  him.  Vaguely 
wondering  how  aid  could  come  from  there,  Lar 
cum  nevertheless  took  fresh  hope  as  he  hoarsely 
shouted:  "  Here  I  am!  Hurry!  I'm  afraid 
this  old  tree  won't  stand  the  strain  much 
longer!  Come  on!  Come  on!  " 


IN  THE  TORRENT  173 

Soon  on  the  bank  before  him  Larcum  saw 
three  persons,  whom  he  vaguely  recognized  as 
Scott,  Lee,  and  the  young  reporter. 

"  Hold  on!  We'll  have  you  out  of  that  in 
a  minute!  "  called  the  reporter. 

"  I  am  holding  on,"  growled  Larcum.  "  I 
don't  want  to  hold  on  forever,  though!  " 

* l  Just  a  minute !  Just  a  minute !  Keep  your 
head." 

Hastily  breaking  down  a  small  sapling,  the 
reporter  seized  it  and  ran  swiftly  into  the 
stream  until  he  was  in  the  water  up  to  his 
waist.  ' '  Here  you !  "  he  called  sharply,  as  he 
turned  to  the  two  boys  behind  him.  "  One  of 
you  take  hold  of  my  jacket,  and  the  other  keep 
hold  of  him  and  hang  on  to  the  bank,  too.  Don 't 
you  dare  let  go!  Now,  then!  "  he  added,  as 
he  thrust  the  pole  toward  Larcum. 

The  end  of  the  sapling  was  within  reach  of 
the  young  giant.  As  he  saw  that  the  length 
of  the  little  pole  was  sufficient  for  his  purpose, 
the  reporter  shouted  to  Larcum,  "  Can  you 
hold  on  to  it  and  not  let  go  of  Jack?  " 

"Yes,  lean!    Go  ahead!  " 

"  All  right!  Now,  then!  Grab  it  and  don't 
let  go !  "  ordered  the  reporter,  who  apparently 
was  calm  in  the  midst  of  the  excitement. 


174  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

As  Larcum  released  his  hold  upon  the  trunk 
of  the  tree,  and  with  his  right  hand  instantly 
seized  the  pole,  the  reporter  was  almost  swept 
from  his  position.  All  three  staggered  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  as  Scott  and  Lee  advanced 
and  together  seized  the  pole,  all  three  began  to 
move  back  to  the  bank,  drawing  Larcum  and 
his  burden  with  them. 

"  Steady!  "  called  the  reporter  warningly. 
"  Don't  pull  the  pole  out  of  his  hand;  he  has 
only  one  free,  you  know.  That's  right!  Here 
we  are!  "  he  added  a  moment  later,  as  he 
grasped  Larcum  by  his  arm.  At  the  same  time 
Scott  and  Lee  grasped  John,  and  all  five  fell 
stumbling  backward  upon  the  grass. 

Quickly  standing  up,  Larcum  bent  eagerly 
over  the  form  of  John. 

"  Stretch  him  out  on  his  face,  fellows!  "  he 
ordered,  as,  without  waiting  for  any  assistance, 
he  drew  John,  face  downward,  on  the  ground. 
"  His  heart  is  going  all  right, "  he  added  de 
lightedly.  t  i  We  '11  have  him  all  right  in  a  min 
ute  !  Lift  him  up  and  let  the  water  run  out  of 
his  mouth." 

But  John  was  not  in  such  a  desperate  plight 
as  at  first  his  friends  feared.  He  was  suffering 
chiefly  from  exhaustion,  and  feebly  protested 


IN  THE  TORRENT  175 

against  the  rough  handling  his  friends  were 
giving  him.  Chafing  his  chilled  limbs,  rolling 
him  over  and  over,  lifting  him  so  that  his  feet 
frequently  were  higher  than  his  head,  the  ex 
cited  boys  vigorously  tried  to  restore  their 
friend. 

"  I  say,"  John  breathlessly  managed  to  whis 
per,  at  last,  "  put  me  back  in  the  Merced,  will 
you,  fellows?  ' 

"  Put  you  back?  What  for,  sir?  "  demanded 
Lee. 

"  Because  I  believe  I'd  rather  take  my 
chances  there  than  here." 

"  You  didn't  have  any  chance  in  the  river," 
said  Scott. 

"  I  know  it,  but  I'd  rather  be  drowned  than 
pounded  to  death,"  gasped  John. 

<  <  T]irow  him  jn?  fellows !  ' '  shouted  Larcum, 
who  was  so  delighted  over  the  rescue  of  his 
friend  that  -now,  for  the  first  time,  he  found 
his  voice.  His  companions,  too,  laughed  loudly 
in  the  feeling  of  relief  that  now  had  replaced 
their  anxiety. 

"  Brace  me  up,  boys!  Let  me  sit  up  a  while 
and  get  my  breath!  I'm  tired,  that's  about 
all  that's  the  matter  with  me,"  said  John. 

Quickly  lifting  him  into  a  sitting  position, 


176  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TOSEMITE 

for  which.  Scott  provided  the  "  back,"  the  de 
light  of  all  increased  when  it  became  mani 
fest  that  their  friend  had  spoken  truly 
and  that  John  was  suffering  mostly  from 
exhaustion. 

"  Come  here,  Larc,"  whispered  John,  beck 
oning  to  the  young  giant. 

"  Here  I  am,  Jack,"  responded  Larcum,  as 
he  at  once  approached. 

"  Lean  over,  Larc,  I  want  to  say  something 
to  you." 

"  What  is  it,  Jack?  " 

"  His  grace,  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  was  in 
the  Yosemite  once.  He  said,  '  This  spoils  one 
for  any  other  scenery  upon  earth.'  " 

For  an  instant  the  huge  Larcum  gazed 
stolidly  at  his  friend,  and  then,  throwing  back 
his  head,  he  laughed  aloud.  "  Doesn't  that 
beat  the  world,  fellows?  "  he  demanded,  as  he 
looked  at  his  companions.  ' '  Talk  about  grit ! 
That  beats  anything  I  ever  saw  on  the  football 
field.  Here  is  this  B/ostonian  half-drowned,  and 
yet  he's  not  letting  up  a  bit.  He's  still  telling 
what  brought  on  all  his  trouble  in  the  first 
place." 

The  relief  of  Larcum  was  so  manifest  that 
his  delight  in  his  friend's  renewed  declarations 


IN  THE  TORRENT  177 

caused  all  who  were  present  to  laugh  in  sheer 
sympathy. 

"  More,  Jack,"  said  Larcum.  "  What  did 
Christopher  Columbus  think  of  the  Yosemite 
Valley?  What  was  Henry  Hudson's  opinion?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

' '  Well,  tell  me  what  Clearchus  thought  of 
it,"  persisted  Larcum. 

"  Oh,  quit  your  foolishness,  Larc!  "  spoke 
up  Scott.  "  What  we  want  is  to  get  Jack  back 
to  the  hotel,  put  him  in  bed,  and  get  some  dry 
clothes  on  him." 

"  Before  I  carry  him  back  I  want  to  make  a 
declaration  right  here  and  now." 

"  Go  ahead." 

"  Never  again  do  I  try  any  practical  jokes. 
None  whatever.  No,  sir;  I've  done  enough  to 
last  one  lifetime.  You  hear  me?  '  No  one 
laughed  at  the  serious  words,  for  Larcum  was 
deadly  in  earnest,  as  his  manner  and  the  ex 
pression  of  his  face  both  proclaimed. 

"  Hadn't  we  better  wait  till  one  of  us  can 
go  back  to  the  hotel  and  get  a  cot  or  a  litter 
to  carry  Jack  on?  "  suggested  the  reporter. 

"  No,  sir;  not  this  trip,"  said  Larcum 
promptly.  "  How  did  you  get  over  here?  Is 
there  a  bridge  not  far  below?  " 


178  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  There's  a  bridge  near  the  hotel,"  replied 
the  reporter.  "  We  can  go  back  on  this  side 
and  cross  the  river  there." 

"  That's  the  place,"  said  Larcum  promptly. 
"  Now,  then,  I'll  be  beast  of  burden  and  you 
can  apply  the  proper  name  to  me  if  you  want 
to,  and  little  Larkie  will  not  kick,  as  his  name 
and  nature  might  imply.  I'll  carry  Jack  on 
my  own  little  back." 

"  Hold  on,"  said  Lee  quickly.  "  Here  comes 
some  one  on  horseback.  We'll  press  him  into 
the  service.  Hail  the  man,  somebody!  " 

As  the  boys  glanced  in  the  direction  of  the 
approaching  horseman,  they  discovered  that 
the  reporter  had  left  them  and  was  running 
swiftly  toward  the  rider. 


CHAPTER  XV 

INVESTIGATING 

LAKCUM  was  devoting  himself  to  the  needs 
of  John,  and,  as  the  reporter  left  the  bank,  he 
did  not  at  first  pay  any  attention  to  his  de 
parture.  In  a  moment,  however,  as  the  re 
porter  shouted  that  he  would  bring  the  new 
comer's  horse  for  John  to  ride,  Larcum  looked 
up.  The  recent  rider  of  the  horse  was  walking 
rapidly  down  the  road,  apparently  having  sur 
rendered  his  steed  to  the  reporter,  and  not 
even  waiting  to  see  what  use  was  to  be  made 
of  it. 

As  Larcum  glanced  at  the  departing  man  he 
saw  that  he  was  young,  and  something  in  his 
appearance  or  attitude  served  to  startle  the 
young  giant.  Leaping  to  his  feet  and  ignoring 
the  presence  of  his  friends,  he  gazed  long  and 
earnestly  at  the  departing  man,  though  he  did 
not  speak  until  the  reporter,  leading  the  horse 
by  the  bridle,  joined  the  party. 

"  I  have  the  horse  for  you,"  he  said  lightly* 

179 


180  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  Now  you  won't  have  to  carry  your  load  back 
to  the  hotel." 

"  Whose  horse  is  it?  "  asked  Larcum. 

11  I  didn't  inquire  the  man's  name.  I  was 
satisfied  when  he  told  me  we  were  welcome  to 
use  his  horse  after  I  had  explained  to  him  why 
we  wanted  it." 

"  That  was  mighty  good  of  him,"  said  Lee 
warmly.  "  Why  didn't  the  man  stay?  " 

"  I  didn't  ask  him.  I've  got  his  horse,  and 
that's  enough,  isn't  it?  " 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  it  after  we've  taken 
'Jack  to  the  hotel?  " 

"  Send  it  over  to  the  barns — over  yonder 
among  those  trees,"  the  reporter  added,  point 
ing  as  he  spoke  to  a  grove  in  the  dis 
tance. 

11  Is  the  man  staying  at  the  hotel?  "  inquired 
Larcum. 

"  I  don't  know.  I'm  sure  I  didn't  ask  him. 
Why?  " 

"  I  just  wanted  to  know,"  replied  Larcum 
indifferently. 

"  What  difference  does  it  make  where  the 
man  is  staying?  " 

11  Not  any,  as  far  as  I'm  concerned." 

"  Why  don't  we  start?  "  demanded  Scott. 


INVESTIGATING  181 

"  We  act  as  if  Jack  wasn't  shivering  in  his 
wet  clothes." 

"  That  does  seem  like  a  good  suggestion," 
assented  the  reporter,  with  a  laugh.  '  '  Shall  we 
lift  you  into  the  saddle!  "  he  added,  turning 
to  John  as  he  spoke. 

"  I  think  I  can  make  it  all  right,"  replied 
John,  slowly  rising.  His  effort  was  needless, 
however,  for  Larcum  quickly  stooped  and,  lift 
ing  him  in  his  arms,  gently  placed  his  friend 
on  the  back  of  the  horse.  Without  a  further 
word,  he  at  once  took  the  animal  by  the  bridle 
and-  started  up  the  road.  Lee  and  Scott  quickly 
advanced,  one  to  either  side  of  the  rider,  while 
the  reporter  quietly  took  his  place  in  the  rear 
of  the  little  procession. 

Despite  John's  protests  that  he  was  not  in 
need  of  a  bodyguard,  each  member  of  the  party 
retained  his  position,  and  a  little  while  after 
ward  they  crossed  the  bridge  and  soon  halted 
in  front  of  the  hotel,  where  their  arrival  in 
stantly  aroused  the  interest  of  the  people  who 
were  seated  there. 

Disregarding  the  manifest  curiosity  of  the 
spectators,  Larcum  lifted  his  friend  from  the 
saddle,  then  turned  to  Scott,  and  said:  "  You 
and  Lee  look  after  Jack.  Take  him  up  to  his 


182  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

room  and  get  those  wet  clothes  off  him.  Give 
Lim  a  good  rub-down  and  put  him  in  bed,  and 
I  guess  he'll  be  all  right  by  the  time  I  am 
back/' 

il  Where  are  you  going,  Larc?  "  asked  Scott, 
in  surprise. 

"I'm  going  to  take  this  horse  back  to  its 
owner,  or  to  the  man  who  let  us  take  him." 

"  No;  I'll  take  him  back,"  protested  the  re 
porter,  stepping  forward  hastily.  "  You're  all 
wet.  Go  upstairs  and  get  some  dry  clothes  on, 
and  I'll  take  back  the  horse." 

Larcurn,  however,  instantly  leaped  into  the 
saddle  and  quickly  turned  the  horse  into  the 
road.  "  Thank  you,  I'm  all  right,"  he  said 
lightly,  to  the  reporter,  who  had  attempted  to 
follow  him.  "  You're  a  bit  damp  yourself.  You 
can  get  a  change  while  I'm  gone." 

' '  You  don 't  know  where  to  go. ' ' 

"  Yes,  I  do.  You  told  me,  and  your  direc 
tions  are  perfectly  clear." 

"  But  you  don't  know  the  man  that  loaned 
the  horse  to  us." 

"  Sure  about  that?  " 

"  Why,  yes.  I  think  he  said  he  had  just 
ridden  into  the  valley.  I'm  sure  he  said  so, 
for  he  explained  that  he  had  come  from  Wa- 


INVESTIGATING  183 

wona.  He'd  been  spending  a  week  or  two  over 
there  among  the  big  trees.'' 

6 '  How  long  did  you  say  he  had  been  there  !  ' ' 
asked  Larcurn,  in  a  low  voice,  and  in  apparent 
indifference,  although  he  was  looking  keenly  at 
the  young  man  as  he  made  his  inquiry. 

"  Why,  I  don't  know.  How  should  I?  "  re 
plied  the  reporter.  * '  I  think  he  said  he  'd  been 
there  a  week  or  two.  You  don't  know  him,  do 
you!  " 

"  Somehow  I  seem  to  feel  that  I  have  seen 
him  before." 

"Where!  " 

"  That  I  can't  tell  you  now.  Maybe  I'll  know 
more  after  I  have  talked  to  him.  Good-by;  I'll 
see  you  again  pretty  soon." 

As  Larcum  rode  away  he  glanced  behind  him, 
and  the  expression  of  Scott's  face  seemed  to 
imply  that  he  wished  his  friend  to  understand 
that  he  was  aware  of  the  meaning  of  his  de 
termination  to  ride  the  horse  to  the  barns.  The 
reporter,  however,  in  an  indifferent  manner,  at 
once  seated  himself  in  one  of  the  piazza  chairs, 
and,  picking  up  a  newspaper  that  had  been  left 
there,  busied  himself  in  its  contents. 

Up  the  road,  across  the  bridge,  then  through 
the  dusty  road  that  led  beyond  the  level 


184  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

meadows  to  the  barns  in  the  distance,  Larcum 
slowly  rode.  It  was  plain  that  the  young  giant 
was  perplexed,  and  was  trying  to  find  some 
solution  for  the  questions  about  which  he  was 
thinking.  Before  he  came  to  the  barns  his 
countenance  became  lighter,  and  apparently 
he  had  decided  as  to  the  course  he  would 
follow. 

As  he  approached  the  barn,  and  a  hostler 
came  forth  to  meet  him,  Larcum  said,  as  he  dis 
mounted:  "  I  was  told  to  bring  this  horse  here. 
Do  you  know  anything  about  it?  " 
"  Yes." 

"  Where  is  the  man  that  owns  it?  " 
"  The  horse  belongs  to  the  company." 
"  But  the  man  just  rode  it  over  from  Wa- 
wona." 

"  Wawona?     Not  much  he  didn't!  " 
"  Did  I  say  Wawona?    I  should  have  said  El 
Portal." 

"  That's  more  like  it." 

"  You   are    sure   the   horse   came   from   El 
Portal,  are  you?  " 

"  Do  I  know  my  name  is  Jim  McGregor?  " 
"  I  guess  you  do.     Where  is  the  man  that 
rode  over  on  him?  " 

"  I  don't  know.    I  guess  he's  in  one  of  the 


INVESTIGATING  185 

tents  over  there, "  replied  the  hostler,  as  he 
pointed  to  a  group  of  tents  not  far  away. 

"  Do  people  live  in  those  tents  every  sum 
mer?  " 

"  Yes/' 

"  Parties  that  come  into  the  valley!  " 

"  Look  here,  young  man,  what  do  you  take 
me  for?  When  do  you  suppose  people  would 
live  in  those  tents  if  they  didn't  come  here? 
The  tents  are  right  here,  aren't  they?  " 

' *  They  certainly  are, ' '  laughed  Larcum.  i '  I 
was  just  wondering  if  the  people  in  them  were 
campers,  that's  all." 

"  Sure  they're  campers.  Some  folks  like  the 
tents  better 'n  they  do  the  hotel — say  they  have 
a  better  table  and  the  nights  are  not  so 
hot." 

' '  The  man  that  came  here  on  this  horse,  then, 
is  a  camper,  is  he?  " 

66  I  didn't  say  he  was." 

"  I  thought  you  did." 

"  Well,  I  didn't.  All  I  said  was  that  I 
thought  he  might  be." 

"  Can  you  find  out?  " 

66  What  do  you  want  to  know  for?  " 

"  I'd  just  like  to  know — that's  all,"  said  Lar 
cum.  "  Here,"  he  added,  as  he  handed  the 


186  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

man  a  silver  dollar.  "  Do  you  think  you  can 
find  out  which  tent  he  is  staying  in?  " 

"  Yes,  sir;  I  believe  I  can,  if  I  try  real  hard," 
said  the  hostler  promptly,  as  he  thrust  the  coin 
into  his  pocket. 

"  I  don't  want  him  to  suspect  that  you  are 
trying  to  find  out  for  any  one  besides  your 
self,"  suggested  Larcum. 

"  He'll  never  know,  no  more'n  the  Sphinx  o' 
Egypt." 

i *  Good !  Now,  if  you  quietly  can  find  out  for 
me  how  long  he  intends  to  stay  here,  and 
whether  or  not  he  has  any  meetings  with  a 
young  man  from  the  hotel,  I  think  I  '11  manage 
to  find  one  or  two  more  of  these  '  cartwheels  ' 
for  you." 

"I'm  your  man  every  day  in  the  week!  It 
might  help,  though,  if  you  was  to  tell  me  what 
sort  o'  a  looking  man  this  fellow  from  the  hotel 
is — I  mean  the  man  you  suspect. ' ' 

"  I  didn't  say  I  suspected  anybody,"  said 
Larcum  sharply. 

"  That's  all  so,  but  I  can  see  through  a  barn 
door  if  there's  a  hole  in  it." 

"  Don't  let  your  suspicion  run  away  with 
you.  The  man  I'm  talking  about — the  one  from 
the  hotel — is  a  smooth-faced,  dark-eyed  fellow, 


INVESTIGATING  187 

about  twenty-five  years  old,  I  think.  He  weighs 
about  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  Not  very 
tall,  and  has  very  white  teeth. " 

"  I  guess  that's  enough.  Shall  I  report  to 
you  at  the  hotel!  ' 

"  No;  don't  come  near  me  at  the  hotel.  I'll 
come  over  here." 

"  When?    To-morrow  morning?  " 

"  Perhaps.  You  may  see  me  here  almost 
any  time.  I  may  come  over  this  after 
noon." 

6 '  Come  when  you  please.  If  I  have  anything 
to  report,  I'll  let  you  know  when  I  see  you.  I'll 
keep  an  eye  on  the  fellow." 

."  That's  all  I  want,"  said  Larcum,  as  he 
turned  away,  and  at  once  started  back  to  the 
Sentinel  Hotel. 

When  he  drew  near  he  beheld  Scott  and  the 
reporter  seated  side  by  side  on  the  piazza.  Both 
arose  as  the  young  giant  approached,  and,  in 
reply  to  Larcum 's  question  concerning  Jack, 
Scott  said  their  friend  was  in  bed  and  sound 
asleep.  "  He'll  be  as  good  as  ever  when  he 
wakes  up,  Larc.  Going  up  to  change  your 
clothes?  " 

"  I  guess  I'm  pretty  well  dried  out  by  this 
time." 


188  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TOSEMITE 

"  Did  you  have  any  trouble  finding  the 
place?  "  asked  the  reporter. 

"  Not  a  bit.  Do  you  know  who  the  man  is 
that  owned  the  horse!  I'd  like  to  thank  him 
for  his  kindness  in  loaning  it  to  us." 

"  I  didn't  stop  to  ask  him  his  name,"  said 
the  reporter.  To  Larcum  it  seemed  that  an  ex 
pression  of  relief  appeared  in  the  young  man's 
face  as  he  heard  the  question. 

"  I'm  afraid  he'll  get  away  before  I  have  a 
chance  to  thank  him/'  continued  Larcum. 
"  You  said  he  was  going  on  soon  to  Wawona, 
didn't  you?  " 

"  I  said  he  had  just  come  from  Wawona.  I 
don't  recall  any  more  than  that,  but  I  have  an 
impression  that  he  is  not  planning  to  stay  in 
the  valley  very  long." 

"  Is  he  stopping  at  the  hotel?  ' 

"  Very  likely.  I  didn't  ask  him.  Where  else 
would  he  stay?  " 

"  He  might  stop  in  some  one  of  the  tents." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  that.  I  guess 
he'll  understand  that  you  are  grateful  to  him 
even  if  you  don't  have  an  opportunity  to  tell 
him.  I  explained  that  one  of  our  party  had 
fallen  into  the  river." 

"  Our  party!  "    Larcum  at  first  was  inclined 


INVESTIGATING  189 

to  resent  the  expression.  By  what  right  did 
the  reporter,  whose  very  name  was  unknown  to 
him,  claim  any  place  with  the  four  boys?  Ke- 
pressing  the  words  that  rose  to  his  lips,  as  he 
suddenly  conjectured  what  the  purpose  of  the 
reporter  was,  Larcum  seated  himself  beside 
Scott  and  did  not  speak. 

"  This  man  was  telling  me,  Larc,  when  you 
came  up,"  said  Scott,  "  about  the  Yosemite  In 
dians.  He  was  telling  me  how  they  disposed 
of  their  dead." 

"  A  live  topic,"  suggested  Larcum  dryly. 
"  They  seem  to  have  succeeded  in  disposing  of 
them  pretty  successfully.  They're  about  all 
gone,  I'm  told." 

"  They  believed  in  an  evil  spirit,"  said  the 
reporter.  "  The  good  spirit  was  their  friend, 
anyway,  so  they  could  trust  him.  In  fact,  they 
accepted  him  on  trust,  but  thought  they  had  to 
keep  their  eyes  open  for  the  evil  spirit.  The 
immortal  part  of  each  man  was  his  heart.  When 
a  man  died  the  evil  spirit  kept  watch  at  the 
grave  all  the  time,  so  that  he  might  get  ahead 
of  the  mourners,  seize  the  dead  man's  heart, 
and  make  off  with  it. ' ' 

"I  thought  they  burned  their  dead,"  sug 
gested  Larcum. 


190  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  So  they  did,  and  that's  the  reason.'7 

"  What's  the  reason?  " 

"  Why,  so  that  the  watching  evil  spirit 
couldn  't  get  it.  If  the  body  of  the  dead  warrior 
was  burned,  then  the  evil  spirit  couldn't  get  his 
heart,  could  he?  " 

"  No,  I  suppose  he  couldn't  very  well." 

"  When  it  was  known  that  a  warrior  was 
near  his  end,  his  wife  or  his  mother  would  hold 
his  head  on  her  lap.  All  the  relatives  and 
friends  were  there,  and  they  would  set  up  a 
low,  mournful  chant,  telling  all  about  his 
bravery  and  what  a  good  man  he  was.  The 
last  the  dying  warrior  heard  before  he  passed 
over  into  the  land  of  spirits  was  the  mournful 
chanting  of  his  good  deeds.  When  the  warrior 
at  last  ceased  to  breathe,  then  the  chant  was 
changed  to  loud  wailings,  and  every  one  pres 
ent  began  to  beat  his  chest  with  clenched  fists. ' ' 

"  Whose  chest  did  they  beat?  "  asked  Lar- 
cum  soberly. 

"  Each  one  beat  his  own.  Excuse  me  a  mo 
ment,"  said  the  reporter  hurriedly,  as  he 
glanced  up  at  a  man  who  was  approaching  on 
horseback. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  BURIAL   OF   THE   INDIAN 

"  WHERE  are  you  going?  "  inquired  Scott  of 
the  reporter. 

"  I'll  be  back  in  a  minute/*  the  reporter  re 
plied,  without  glancing  behind  him.  He  had 
walked  to  the  end  of  the  piazza  in  line  with 
the  approaching  horseman;  but,  if  he  had  rec 
ognized  the  latter,  he  had  not  betrayed  his 
knowledge  by  so  much  as  a  second  glance  at  the 
man  on  horseback. 

"  Keep  still,  Scott, "  said  Larcum,  in  a  low 
voice.  "  Watch  the  fellow." 

"What  is  it,  Larc?  " 

Larcum  did  not  reply,  but  he  was  keenly 
watching  the  rider,  who  had  now  slackened  the 
speed  of  his  horse,  which  was  slowly  walking 
past  the  hotel.  The  rider  was  a  young  man, 
clad  in  the  regulation  suit  of  the  traveler.  He 
apparently  ignored  the  two  boys,  and  was  glanc 
ing  about  him  with  the  manner  of  one  who  was 
not  familiar  with  the  region. 

191 


192   FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  70S E MITE 

"  Do  you  know  who  that  fellow  is,  Scott?  " 
asked  Larcum  quietly. 

"  I  haven't  the  slightest  idea.  I  never  saw 
him  before. ' ' 

"I  have." 

"Who  is  he!  " 

"  He's  the  chap  that  came  aboard  the  sleeper 
at  Sacramento  and  took  '  upper  seven.'  " 

"  Are  you  sure,  Larc?  "  asked  Scott,  at  once 
excited. 

"  I  am." 

"  Then  you  think  he  may  be  the  other  man 
that " 

"  Look  at  the  reporter,"  interrupted  Larcum 
sharply.  ' '  See  where  he 's  going  ?  ' ' 

"  Into  the  post-office." 

"  Now  keep  your  eyes  open  and  watch  both 
of  them." 

Scott's  eyes  assuredly  were  not  closed  in  the 
minutes  that  followed;  but,  though  he  was 
keenly  observant  of  all  that  was  occurring,  he 
was  unable  to  detect  any  suspicious  acts  on  the 
part  of  the  young  man  he  was  watching.  The 
horseman  rode  slowly  along  the  road,  and,  to 
all  appearances,  did  not  even  glance  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  post-office  as  he  passed  the  place. 
Nor  did  he  increase  the  speed  of  his  horse  as 


TEE  BURIAL  OF  THE  INDIAN     193 

long  as  he  remained  within  the  sight  of  the 
watching  boys. 

As  for  the  reporter,  several  minutes  elapsed 
before  he  appeared  once  more  upon  the  street, 
and  then  he  leisurely  turned  toward  the  hotel, 
where  he  resumed  his  seat  beside  the  boys  on 
the  piazza. 

"  Ever  carry  a  letter  around  in  your  pocket 
for  a  week  or  so  and  forget  to  mail  it?  "  he 
inquired,  with  a  quiet  laugh  as  he  spoke. 
"  Well,  I've  had  that  letter  ever  since  I  left 
San  Francisco.  When  I  felt  it  in  my  pocket 
just  now,  I  knew  the  only  safe  thing  for 
me  to  do  was  to  mail  it  before  I  forgot  it 
again. ' ' 

"  Did  you  notice  that  young  fellow  who  went 
past  here  while  you  were  in  the  post-office?  " 
asked  Scott  quietly. 

"  In  which  direction  was  he  walking?  " 

"  He  wasn't  walking  at  all.  He  was  on 
horseback. ' ' 

"  I  don't  think  1  did.  The  sight  of  a  man 
on  horseback  isn't  a  very  startling  one  in 
the  Yosemite,  is  it?  "  The  reporter  spoke 
lightly,  and,  as  he  glanced  up,  he  saw  that 
Larcum  was  keenly  observing  him.  "  Why?  " 
he  added  indifferently.  "  Was  there  any- 


194  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

thing  especially  marked  about  this  man  to 
whom  you  refer?  Had  you  ever  seen  him 
before?  " 

' '  I  have  seen  him  before. ' ' 

"  That's  likely, "  laughed  the  reporter. 
ri  It's  said,  you  know,  that,  if  you  stay  in  the 
Yosemite  Valley  long  enough,  you'll  see  here 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  you  ever  knew, 
no  matter  where  they  may  live.  Was  this  man 
from  the  East?  " 

"  What  were  you  telling  us  about  the  cus 
toms  of  the  Yosemite  Indians  in  burying  their 
dead?  "  asked  Larcum  quietly.  "  You  were 
describing  them,  I  believe,  when  this  fellow  on 
horseback  came  along." 

"  It  wasn't  the  horseman;  it  was  a  guilty 
conscience  that  made  me  stop  talking,"  said 
the  reporter  lightly.  "  I  don't  even  know 
whether  or  not  I  should  recognize  him  if  I  were 
to  see  him  again.  I  just  had  to  mail  that  let 
ter  then  and  there,  or  it  never  would  get  started 
on  its  way." 

Larcum 's  manner,  although  he  was  keenly 
alert  to  all  that  was  going  on,  did  not  betray 
any  special  interest  on  his  part.  Apparently 
now  he  was  gazing  dreamily  at  the  towering 
cliffs  of  the  Half  Dome. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  INDIAN     195 

"  Where  was  If''1  inquired  the  reporter. 
"Where  did  I  stop?  " 

"  You  had  the  Indian  dead,  and  the  assem 
bled  mourners  were  beating  their  chests  with 
their  fists/7  suggested  Larcum. 

"  Well,  the  next  thing  the  Yosemites  did  was 
to  spread  a  blanket  on  the  ground  and  lay  the 
dead  body  on  it.  Then  a  brother  or  some  near 
relative  of  the  late  deceased  would  draw  the 
dead  man's  knees  up  toward  his  chin,  place 
the  arms  down  over  the  knees,  and  then  draw 
a  cord  about  them  all,  so  that  the  body  would 
stay  fixed  in  that  position.  All  this  time  the 
weeping  and  wailing  were  kept  up  by  the  as 
sembled  family  and  friends.  As  soon  as  the 
body  was  ready,  the  wailing  all  stopped.  Not  a 
sound,  not  even  a  whisper  was  allowed  to  dis 
turb  the  scene.  It  must  have  been  mighty  sol 
emn  to  see  all  those  people  sitting  about  the 
body  of  the  dead  warrior,  not  one  of  whom 
moved  from  his  position  or  spoke. 

"  Then,  after  twenty  minutes  or  a  half-hour 
had  passed,  some  one  gave  a  signal,  and  every 
one  instantly  stood  up.  The  women  began  to 
wail  again  and  the  men  all  turned  to  the  work 
of  building  the  funeral  pyre." 

"  What  did  they  use?  "  asked  Scott. 


196  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  Mostly  pitch-pine  and  oak.  When  they  had 
the  pile  about  two  feet  high,  everybody  became 
still  again  while  the  men  lifted  the  corpse  to 
the  top  of  the  pile.  When  this  had  been  done, 
they  piled  on  more  wood,  until  all  the  body  ex 
cept  the  face  was  covered  by  the  wood.  There 
was  not  the  slightest  sound  now,  when  the  old 
est  relative  of  the  late  deceased,  with  a  torch 
in  his  hand,  stepped  forward  and  set  fire  to  the 
wood.  When  the  first  curling  smoke  appeared, 
that  was  the  signal  for  the  women  to  begin 
again.  Their  howlings  were  louder  than  before, 
but  the  men  were  all  supposed  to  be  silent  now. 

"  The  nearest  relatives  had  long  sticks  in 
their  hands,  and  began  to  dance  frantically  in 
a  circle  around  the  blaze.  As  they  danced  they 
stirred  up  the  fire  with  their  sticks  or  turned 
the  body  over  so  that  every  part  of  it  should 
be  in  the  blaze." 

"  What  was  the  special  purpose  of  their  yell 
ing?  "  inquired  Larcum. 

"  That  was  supposed  to  scare  away  the  evil 
spirit  who  was  watching  his  chance  to  carry 
away  the  dead  man's  heart." 

"  But  the  heart  was  burning,  wasn't  it?  ' 

"  Yes;  but  it  was  leaving  that  place,  you  un 
derstand,  for  the  happy  hunting-grounds;  and 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  INDIAN     197 

there  was  danger  that  the  evil  spirit — he  was 
watching  all  the  time — might  grab  it  and  make 
off  with  it.  When  the  bad  spirit  was  distracted 
by  the  noise,  that  gave  the  man's  heart  a  chance, 
you  see.  It  could  dodge  the  old  boy  and  so  get 
away  in  safety  to  the  happy  hunting-grounds. 

"  When  the  body  was  almost  burned  up, 
what  remained  of  it  was  carefully  taken  from 
the  fire  and  rolled  up  in  one  of  the  best 
blankets  the  family  had.  The  wives  of  the 
dead  warrior,  or  some  of  his  nearest  relatives, 
carefully  separated  the  parts " 

"  Parts  of  what?  "  interrupted  Scott. 

"  Parts  of  the  body  that  were  not  burned  up. 
Each  separate  part  was  rolled  up  in  a  string 
of  beads  or  some  other  valuable  possession. 
Next,  this  blanket,  with  its  contents,  was  put 
in  a  basket  which  had  been  especially  made  for 
the  occasion.  This  blanket,  and  perhaps  the 
dead  warrior's  bows  and  arrows,  his  headdress, 
cloths,  or  anything  else  that  he  had  particu 
larly  valued,  were  all  put  on  the  fire  and  burned 
up." 

"  Any  more  jubilant  wailings?  "  asked  Lar- 
cum. 

"  Not  at  the  time.  When  the  fire  had  done 
its  work,  some  of  the  ashes  were  separated  and 


198  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

kept  for  mourning  purposes,  while  all  the  rest 
were  brushed  or  even  scraped  together,  placed 
in  a  basket,  and  buried." 

*  '  What  became  of  the  mourning  ashes ?  "  in 
quired  Scott. 

"  They  were  mixed  with  pitch  and  spread  on 
the  faces  of  the  female  relatives  of  the  late 
lamented. ' ' 

"  And  the  men  were  allowed  to  go  free?  " 

"  Yes;  but  the  squaws,  especially  the  old 
ones,  seemed  to  glory  in  their  appearance.  They 
used  to  spread  the  pitch  and  ashes  from  their 
cheeks  to  their  ears.  They  never  washed  it  off 
— they  let  it  wear  off." 

"  How  long  did  that  take?  " 

"  Generally  about  six  months." 

"  So  soon?  "  asked  Larcum  solemnly. 

"  That's  the  story." 

"  I  thought  when  those  Digger  ladies  passed 
us  they  might  be  in  mourning,  but  I  had  no  idea 
it  was  for  six  months  only.  If  one  could  judge 
from  appearances,  they  had  been  wearing  their 
mourning  for  some  of  the  braves  that  fell  in 
battle  with  the  Forty-niners." 

11  Larc,  you  haven't  a  spark  of  sympathy  or 
sentiment  in  your  make-up,"  said  Scott 
sharply,  although  he  laughed  as  he  spoke. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  INDIAN     199 

"  Now,  for  my  part,  I  think  there  is  something 
fine-grained  and  poetic  in  the  way  the  Yo  semi- 
tes  mourned  for  their  dead." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Larcum,  rising  as  he  spoke. 
"  I  think  they  were  far  ahead  of  us.  Just  look 
at  us.  We  have  hired  singers  to  sing  for  us; 
men  hired  to  speak  for  us;  and  hired  black 
plumes,  black  horses,  black  clothes,  and  I  don't 
know  what  all.  To  me  it's  all  as  heathenish 
as  the  custom  of  the  Yosemites,  and  a  good  deal 
less  beautiful.  Why  can't  they  let  a  man's  fam 
ily,  who  are  the  only  ones  really  to  care,  put 
away  their  dead  in  quiet?  Then,  too,  what  do 
our  women  want  to  wrap  themselves  up  in  black 
for?  Just  to  advertise  to  the  world — that 
doesn't  care  a  rap  about  it — how  badly  they 
feel!  We  think  we're  more  civilized  than  the 
poor  Yosemites.  Bah!  We're  as  heathenish  as 
they  are.  All  the  difference  is  that  we  are  used 
to  ours,  that's  all!  Scott,"  the  young  giant 
abruptly  added,  "  do  you  know  what  I'm  going 
to  do  now?  " 

"  I  haven't  the  remotest  idea,  and,  what's 
more,  I  don't  believe  you  have,  either." 

"  I  am  about  to  engage  in  two  stupendous  en 
terprises.  The  first  is  to  ascertain  the  present 
condition  of  John  Adams  Field,  Jr.;  and  the 


200  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEM1TE 

next,  if  his  condition  is  satisfactory,  is  that  I 
intend  to  walk  over  to  the  Yosemite  Falls.  I 
want  to  get  under  them." 

"  You'll  get  wet,"  suggested  the  reporter. 

"  Is  it  so?  " 

"  It  certainly  is.  The  spray  is  like  a  heavy 
rain." 

"  Well,  I'm  not  yet  dry,  so  that  won't  bother 
me  any,"  said  Larcum,  as  he  at  once  departed 
for  John's  room,  where  he  found  his  friend 
sleeping  soundly. 

"  Jack's  all  right,"  said  Lee,  who  had  re 
mained  to  look  after  John's  wants.  "  He  in 
sisted  that  he  was  going  to  get  up  and  dress, 
but  I  finally  persuaded  him  to  stay  in  bed. 
He'll  be  as  lively  as  ever  when  he  has  had  a 
good  nap." 

"  He  seems  to  be  doing  fairly  well,"  said 
Larcum,  as  he  looked  at  his  sleeping  companion. 
"  The  sounds  he  makes  are  certainly  normal 
and  are  not  indicative  of  unnatural  weakness  or 
an  early  demise.  Come  on,  Lee." 

"  Where  are  you  going?  " 

"  Going  over  to  the  falls.  I  want  to  get  a 
good  look  up  under  them." 

"  Will  it  be  all  right  to  leave  Jack?  "  asked 
Lee,  hesitating  a  moment. 


TEE  BURIAL  OF  THE  INDIAN     201 

"He's  speaking  for  himself/'  laughed  Lar- 
cum,  as  John's  deep  breathing  became  still 
more  audible. 

"  All  right,  I'll  be  with  you  in  a  minute," 
responded  Lee. 

When  the  three  boys  departed  from  the  hotel, 
the  reporter  at  once  joined  them  without  wait 
ing  for  the  formality  of  an  invitation.  Larcum 
winked  solemnly  at  his  friends,  but,  as  no  pro 
test  was  made,  the  three  boys  and  their  unin 
vited  companion  were  soon  walking  along 
the  path  across  the  meadows,  on  their  way 
to  the  great  falls,  whose  booming  waters 
sounded  still  more  loudly  as  the  boys  drew 
near. 

"  Stop  a  minute,  boys,"  said  the  reporter. 
"  I  want  you  to  get  a  good  view  of  what  shuts 
in  the  valley.  Up  yonder  is  El  Capitan.  That 
bare  cliff  is  more  than  seven  thousand  feet  high. 
It  is  not  the  highest  part  of  the  canon  walls,  but 
it  certainly  is  worth  looking  at.  Off  to  the  east 
of  El  Capitan,  those  three  peaks  are  the  Three 
Brothers — I'll  tell  you  about  them  sometime — 
I  mean  the  story  of  how  they  got  their  name. 
That  solid  wall  of  rock  yonder  beyond  the  falls 
is  the  Royal  Arches.  Looks  as  if  one  could  step 
over  the  edge  and  go  straight  to  the  bottom 


202  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

of  the  valley.  Half  Dome,  that  peak  off  there 
to  the  south  that  looks  as  if  it  had  been  cut  in 
two  by  a  cheese-knife,  is,  next  to  El  Capitan,  the 
most  wonderful  feature  you'll  see,  as  far  as  the 
rocks  are  concerned.  It's  more  than  a  mile 
and  a  half  high." 

"  Do  people  climb  it  now?  "  asked  Lee,  as  he 
gazed  at  the  wondrous  sight. 

"  No,  not  now;  though  it  has  been  done. 
About  thirty-five  years  ago  a  man  named  An 
derson  scaled  it  to  its  summit.  He  went  up  the 
other  side  of  it.  He  drove  in  pegs  and  fas 
tened  a  rope  to  them,  but  the  rope  and  pegs  are 
all  gone  now." 

"  I  don't  see  how  he  could  go  up  the  way 
you  said,"  suggested  Larcum,  "  though  I  can 
see  how  he  could  come  down." 

"  Don't  spoil  a  good  story  by  asking  too  many 
questions,  Larc,"  said  Scott. 

"  Yonder  is  Sentinel  Dome,  and  off  there  is 
Sentinel  Bock,"  continued  the  reporter.  "  To 
morrow,  if  you  want  to,  we  can  get  horses  or 
donkeys  and  go  up  to  Glacier  Point — that  rock 
up  there  which  hangs  right  out  over  the 
valley." 

"  That's  good,"  said  Larcum  hastily.  "  I'll 
stop  at  the  barns  now  and  arrange  for  the  don- 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  INDIAN     203 

keys.     You  go  on.     I'll  soon  catch  up  with 
you." 

As  Larcum  started  toward  the  barn  he  smiled 
grimly  when  he  glanced  behind  him  and  saw 
that  the  reporter  had  left  the  boys  and  was 
following  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

UNDER   THE   FALLS 

"  THIS  isn't  the  way  to  the  falls !  "  called  the 
reporter,  before  he  overtook  Larcmn.  "  This 
road  will  take  you  back  to  the  hotel. " 

"  That's  all  right.  I  just  wanted  to  stop  at 
the  barns  a  minute,"  answered  Larcum. 

"  What  for?  " 

"  We'll  want  to  arrange  for  horses  and  don 
keys  for  to-morrow." 

"  Where  are  you  going  to-morrow?  " 

"  Glacier  Point." 

"  You  can  make  all  the  arrangements  right 
at  the  Sentinel  Hotel." 

"  I  fancy  that's  so,  but  there's  no  harm  in 
looking  at  the  animals.  It  will  take  something 
of  a  horse  to  carry  me." 

An  expression  of  apparent  relief  appeared 
on  the  reporter's  face,  but  he  still  continued  on 
his  way  beside  the  young  giant.  Larcum  did 
not  speak,  and  in  a  brief  time  they  arrived  at 
the  barns.  Horses  and  donkeys  were  moving 

204 


UNDER  THE  FALLS  205 

about  in  the  paddock,  but,  as  Larcum  looked 
about  him,  he  was  unable  to  find  the  hostler  with 
whom  he  had  had  his  conversation.  Nor  was 
he  able  to  see  the  horse  that  had  carried  John 
back  to  the  hotel  after  the  rescue  from  the  river. 
The  failure  to  discover  either  was  somewhat 
puzzling ;  but  Larcum  was  soon  conversing  with 
another  hostler,  and  selected  the  two  horses 
and  the  two  donkeys  that  were  to  be  used  the 
following  day.  The  reporter  remained  beside 
him  throughout  the  interview,  although  he  did 
not  take  any  part  in  the  conversation — not  even 
when  Larcum  limited  the  number  of  horses  re 
quired  to  the  party  of  four  boys. 

"  Come  on.  We'll  go  back  now  and  join 
the  other  fellows,"  he  said,  as  he  turned  away. 

"  I'm  afraid  you'll  be  too  late  to  get  much 
good  out  of  the  falls  this  afternoon, ' '  suggested 
the  reporter.  "  The  sun  has  a  way  of  getting 
behind  those  hills  on  the  west  long  before  you 
expect  it  to." 

"  If  we  can't  do  it  to-day,  then  we  can  some 
other  day." 

"  That's  good  philosophy,  but  it  doesn't  al 
ways  work  in  the  Yo  Semite.  Sometimes  in  the 
winter  here — I  don't  know  but  I  told  you — the 
sun  doesn't  shine  for  more  than  two  hours  a  day 


206  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

in  the  valley.  It  doesn't  seem  possible  that 
those  falls  could  stop  running  in  the  winter. 
They  do,  though.  The  water  will  freeze  back  of 
the  place  where  it  jumps  over  the  precipice,  and 
there  won't  be  a  drop  of  water  coming  over  the 
border  until  the  sun  is  up  and  the  ice  has  been 
melted." 

i  l  Strange, ' '  said  Larcum,  as  he  glanced  once 
more  toward  the  tremendous  fall  of  water, 
whose  roar  steadily  increased  in  volume  as  the 
boys  drew  nearer.  In  reality,  however,  the 
young  giant's  thoughts  were  more  of  matters 
with  which  the  sight  before  him  had  nothing 
more  to  do  than  the  volume  of  water  and  the 
roar  that  was  steadily  becoming  louder. 

Lee  and  Scott  were  overtaken  as  the  path  en 
tered  a  grove  of  pines,  and,  in  reply  to  the  ques 
tions  of  his  friends,  Larcum  explained  that  he 
had  stopped  at  the  stables  to  select  horses  for 
the  following  morning. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  the  reporter,  as  the  lit 
tle  party  came  to  the  border  of  a  tumbling, 
roaring  little  stream.  "  This  is  a  part  of  the 
water  that  comes  over  the  falls." 

"  It's  like  rain,"  said  Lee,  as  the  air  seemed 
to  be  filled  with  the  penetrating  mist. 

"  It  isn't  so  much  as  it  will  be.    Look  yonder 


UNDER  THE  FALLS  207 

— there  comes  a  man  who,  from  his  appearance, 
must  have  been  up  under  the  fall.  He's  as  wet 
as  if  he'd  come  down  with  the  stream.  I 
know  who  it  is,"  the  reporter  quickly  added. 
"  That's  Mr.  Tinklepaugh.  He's  the  owner  of 
one  of  the  richest  mines  in  the  West.  And, 
think  of  it,  when  he  came  out  here  ten  years 
ago  he  had  only  his  two  bare  hands." 

"  How  many  has  he  now?  "  inquired  Scott 
soberly. 

"  Nobody  knows.  It's  reported,  though,  that 
he's  got  at  least  ten  million." 

6 '  Ten  million  hands !  Why,  he 's  worse  than 
a  centipede!  " 

"  You  know  what  I  mean.  He's  worth  ten 
millions  of  dollars." 

"  But  you  said  he  came  out  here  with  two 
hands,  and  now  he  has  a  million.  I  call  that 
pretty  good  work,"  said  Scott. 

1 '  All  right.  Have  it  your  own  way, ' '  laughed 
the  reporter.  "  Now,  then,  we'll  have  to  be 
careful.  These  rocks  are  slippery  and  the 
spray  is  so  dense  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
see  through  it.  Do  you  want  me  to  lead  the 
way?  " 

"  I  reckon  we  won't  want  much  of  any  lead 
ers,"  said  Lee,  as  he  wiped  the  trickling 


208  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

moisture  from  his  face.  "It's  every  man  for 
himself.  How  far  up  can  we  go?  " 

"  Up  to  the  foot  of  these  lower  falls.  You'll 
think  that  is  far  enough  before  we're  there. 
Any  time  any  one  of  you  wants  to  go  back, 
just  speak  up,  and  we'll  take  the  back 
trail." 

"  Speak  for  yourself,"  growled  Larcum. 

"  You're  wet  through,  Larc,"  said  Scott. 

"What  of  it?  I  haven't  been  really  dry 
since  I  came  out  of  the  Merced." 

"  You're  as  wet  as  Larc  is,  Scott,"  suggested 
Lee. 

"  And  you're  no  better  off  than  either  of 
us." 

"  I  reckon  that's  so,  but  I  don't  mind  it. 
Isn't  this  about  the  wildest  and  greatest  you 
ever  saw?  "  Lee  added  enthusiastically. 

"  It  certainly  is — when  I  can  see  it  for  the 
water  on  my  face.  We're  all  wet  to  the  skin, 
and  it  won't  hurt  us  any  more  now  if  we  keep 
straight  on." 

"  This  way!  "  called  the  reporter,  who  was  in 
advance  of  the  little  party.  "  Mind  your 
footing  there!  The  rocks  are  wet  and  slip 
pery.  " 

"  That  fellow  won't  let  even  the  Yosemite 


UNDER  THE  FALLS  209 

Falls  drown  him  out, ' '  said  Larcum  to  Lee,  who 
was  close  behind  him.  "  Might  drown  his  body, 
but  it  never  could  drown  out  his  voice.  It's 
like  the  roar  of  the  falls." 

Conversation  now  became  impossible.  The 
roar  of  the  falling  waters  was  almost  deafen 
ing.  The  air  was  so  full  of  heavy  mist  that 
drops  like  rain  were  falling,  and  little  streams 
were  trickling  down  the  faces  of  the  boys.  The 
trail  became  less  clearly  defined  and  required 
the  undivided  attention  of  the  young  travelers 
as  they  followed  the  reporter,  who  still  was 
leading  the  way.  The  coolness  in  the  spaces 
between  the  jutting  rocks  was  like  that  of  some 
huge  ice  chest. 

As  Larcum  at  last  looked  up  he  saw  that 
the  reporter  had  stopped,  and,  when  the  boys 
joined  him,  he  said:  "  This  is  about  as  far  as 
we  can  go.  Look  up." 

Above  them  the  boys  saw  the  great  masses 
of  water  steadily  pouring  down  into  the  abyss. 
Clouds  of  spray,  glistening  in  the  light  of  the 
afternoon  sun  were  above  them  and  about  them. 
The  wild  beauty  of  the  falls,  the  glistening 
rocks,  the  dripping  stones,  the  massive  walls,  as 
well  as  the  ceaseless  thunder  of  the  stream  as  it 
dashed  upon  the  stones,  all  combined  to  make 


210  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

of  the  scene  one  of  the  most  impressive  upon 
which  the  young  travelers  had  ever  looked. 
For  a  few  minutes  they  remained  standing  in 
silence  as  they  gazed  at  the  marvelous  sight; 
then,  at  a  shout  from  their  leader,  they  all 
turned  and  retraced  their  way.  Caution  was 
required  in  the  descent,  for  the  rocks  were  wet 
and  slippery.  When  they  were  once  more  safe 
in  the  grove  below,  they  stopped  and  again 
looked  up  at  the  impressive  scene. 

"  How  high  did  you  say  these  falls  are?  " 
asked  Scott  of  the  reporter. 

"  The  lower  falls  are  four  hundred  feet." 

"  The  whole  three  make  up  twenty-five  hun 
dred,  don't  they?  " 

"  Yes,  the  highest  falls  in  the  world — that 
is,  of  any  falls  that  have  anything  like  the  same 
volume  of  water." 

"  Lee,"  laughed  Scott,  "  why  don't  you  say 
they  are  '  pretty  '?  That's  the  word  you  use  in 
the  South,  isn't  it?  " 

"  They  are,"  replied  Lee  simply. 

"  '  Pretty,'  man!  Why,  they're  grand,  stu 
pendous,  magnificent,  sublime,  transcendent, 
impressive,  overwhelming,  vast,  overpowering, 
awe-inspiring — but  don't  call  them  i  pretty.'  " 

"  I  won't,"  laughed  Lee. 


UNDER  THE  FALLS  211 

"  That's  a  good  boy.7 ' 

"  I  wouldn't  even  apply  that  word  to  you, 
Scott, ' '  added  Lee.  i  i  If  you  could  see  yourself 
as  others  see  you,  you'd  think  those  wonderful 
adjectives  would  be  as  appropriate  as  they 
would  be  for  a  drowned  rat." 

"  I  am  a  trifle  damp,  that's  a  fact,"  admitted 
Scott,  as  he  glanced  ruefully  at  his  drip 
ping  clothing.  "  Still,  it's  worth  all  it  cost, 
even  if  it  did  take  the  crease  out  of  my 
trousers." 

"  That's  the  highest  price  a  New  Yorker  can 
pay  for  anything,"  sniffed  Larcum. 

"  Well,  when  you  people  in  Chicago  learn 
to  have  your  trousers  made  by  a  real  tailor, 
you  '11  understand  how  we  feel, ' '  retorted  Scott. 
"  Of  course,  as  long  as  you  tuck  the  bottoms 
of  your  trousers  inside  the  tops  of  your  cow 
hide  boots,  you'll  never  know." 

"  There's  an  ice  cone  forms  there  at  the  base 
of  the  lower  falls  every  winter,"  suggested  the 
reporter. 

"  How  high?  "  inquired  Scott. 

"  Five  hundred  feet." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  it?  " 

*  '  Yes,  twice.  I  have  been  up  here  in  the  Yo- 
semite  two  winters." 


212  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  Plenty  of  snow  here  then,  too,  isn't  there!  " 
asked  Lee. 

"  Lots  of  it.  You  have  to  dig  your  way 
then." 

"  Keep  still,  fellows;  let  me  get  in  a  word 
once  in  a  while,  will  you?  I've  got  a  conun 
drum,"  broke  in  Larcum. 

"  We'll  give  it  up  before  you  ask  it,  Larc," 
retorted  Scott. 

"  What  kind  of  a  physician  ought  to  visit 
the  Yosemite  Valley  in  the  winter?  "  asked 
Larcum. 

"  No  kind,"  answered  Scott  promptly. 
"  Haven't  we  been  told  already  that  nobody 
out  here  dies  a  natural  death?  The  climate 
won't  permit  it.  If  that's  so,  then  no  physician 
will  be  needed  here,  winter  or  summer.  Your 
conundrum  is  no  good." 

"  What  kind  of  a  physician  will  most  enjoy 
a  trip  to  the  Yosemite  when  the  snow  is  deep 
in  the  valley?  I'll  put  it  that  way,  then,"  said 
Larcum,  ignoring  what  his  friend  had  said.  "  I 
want  to  bring  it  down  to  the  level  of  every  one 
-and  Scott  Gordon." 

11  I  say  the  one  who  is  an  allopath,"  sug 
gested  Lee. 

"  No.    You're  wrong,  Lee." 


UNDER  THE  FALLS  213 

"  I  suppose  you  mean,  then,  the  man  who 
can  hoe-me-a-path,  don't  you,  Larc!  "  asked 
Scott. 

"  Good!  Good  for  you,  Scott!"  shouted 
Larcum.  "  I  wouldn't  have  believed  it." 

"  If  I  had  biceps  like  yours,  Larc,  and  a  lit 
tle  of  your  weight,  I'd  soon  show  you  that  you 
couldn't  treat  your  best  friends  that  way," 
said  Scott,  in  mock  solemnity.  "  Who'd 
think  a  great  prize-ox  like  Larc  could  ever 
think  out  such  a  cute  little  pun  as  that!  I 
think  the  altitude  has  affected  your  mind. 
You'd  better  find  and  consult  your  homeo 
path " 

11  Oh,  there's  nothing  the  matter  with  me," 
retorted  Larcum.  "I'm  having  a 

The  young  giant  did  not  continue,  however, 
for  instantly  his  two  friends  started  after  him, 
and  the  chase  was  not  slackened  until  at  last 
the  boys  were  once  more  in  the  sandy  road  that 
led  back  to  the  hotel. 

' '  I  wonder  what  either  of  you  fellows  would 
do  in  a  dark  night  if  a  man  like  me  took  after 
you?  "  laughed  Larcum.  "  You  couldn't  run 
away  from  him,  for  he  could  outrun  you  both. 
What  would  you  do,  fellows?  " 

"  Make  him  run." 


214  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Yes,  if  you  had  a  gun." 

"  I  don't  mean  that.  If  I  should  get  off  one 
of  your  little  puns,  that  would  fix  him.'7 

"  Lee,  you  stay  here  and  wait  for  the  re 
porter,"  said  Larcum  abruptly.  "  I  want  to 
go  over  to  the  barn  again,  and  I'll  make  Scott 
go  with  me." 

11  All  right,  sir.  You  can't  hurt  my  feelings 
that  way,"  said  Lee  promptly,  as  he  seated  him 
self  by  the  roadside. 

"  Scott,"  said  Larcum,  when  he  and  his 
friend  were  on  their  way  to  the  stables,  "  don't 
you  think  we  have  found  out  enough  about  this 
reporter  and  his  friend  to  write  the  railroad 
people?  " 

"  You  want  them  to  send  some  men  up  here 
— and  arrest  them!  "  inquired  Scott.  "  I  don't 
know  about  that." 

"  Well,  I  do.  I  have  a  lot  of  sympathy  for 
the  company." 

"  I  have  more  for  the  passengers,"  laughed 
Scott. 

"  You  needn't  whine.  You  didn't  lose  any 
thing." 

"I'm  not  whining.    I  never  was  happier." 

"  Well,  come  on  with  me  to  the  stables.  I'd 
like  to  see  that  hostler  again.  If  he's  there,  I'll 


UNDER  THE  FALLS  215 

know  what  to  do  about  writing  the  company. 
If  these  two  fellows  are  train-robbers,  we  don't 
want  them  to  be  left  at  large,  to  try  their 
scheme  on  any  more  innocent  travelers.  Come 
on,  Scott;  come  on!  " 


CHAPTER  XVIH 

A   NIGHT   LETTER 

THE  visit  to  the  stables,  however,  failed  to 
reveal  the  presence  of  the  hostler  whom  Lar- 
cum  was  desirous  of  seeing.  In  response  to  his 
inquiries,  he  was  informed  that  "  Jim  was 
somewhere  about,"  but  no  one  appeared  able 
to  locate  him  exactly.  "  He'd  be  back  pretty 
soon,"  did  not  satisfy  the  boys. 

"  We  won't  wait,"  said  Larcum  to  his  com 
panion.  "  Come  on;  we'll  join  the  others  at 
the  bridge." 

"  Going  to  write  to  the  railway  people, 
Larc?  "  inquired  Scott,  as  the  two  boys  fol 
lowed  the  dusty  road. 

"  Yes.  I'd  have  been  glad  to  see  the  hostler 
again  before  I  wrote,  but  I  think  I'd  better  not 
wait  any  longer." 

* '  You  feel  sure  that  you  have  enough  to  war 
rant  you  in  writing,  do  you?  " 

"  You  can  see  the  facts  as  well  as  I  can." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  can.  What  are  they?, 
Say  them  over  again  to  me." 

216 


A  NIGHT  LETTER  217 

"  Well,  first  of  all,  the  reporter  was  almost 
on  the  spot  when  the  train  was  held  up.  Then 
he " 

"  That  isn't  anything  of  itself  so  very  sus 
picious,  "  broke  in  Scott.  "He's  an  enterpris 
ing  chap,  even  you'll  have  to  acknowledge  that. 
We  weren't  very  far  out  from  San  Francisco, 
and  a  live  reporter  wouldn't  let  very  much 
grass  grow  under  his  feet  before  he'd  be  on 
hand  with  notebook  and  pencils." 

"  That's  all  right.  If  that  was  the  only 
thing,  there  might  be  some  sense  in  what  you 
eay,  but  it  isn't.  There's  his  dogging  us  in 
San  Francisco;  there's  his  following  us  into 
the  Yosemite;  there's  the  man  who  engaged  the 
upper  berth  in  this  fellow's  section  on  the 
sleeper,  and  the  fact  that  he  got  off  before  the 
train  pulled  into  El  Portal  mustn't  be  forgotten, 
either.  Then  the  same  fellow  shows  up  here  a 
little  later  and  doesn't  put  up  at  the  hotel;  he 
rides  past  the  Sentinel,  and  '  as  he  goes  on  '  our 
reporter  suddenly  has  important  business  at 
the  post-office,  to  say  nothing  of  his  disappear 
ance  since — and  his  horse  isn't  any  longer  in 
the  stable.  Why,  Scott,  even  the  hostler  who 
had  that  talk  with  me  has  evaporated.  It  isn't 
that  there's  so  much  in  any  one  of  these  points, 


218  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

but,  taken  altogether,  the  sum  of  them  seems 
to  me  to  mean  a  good  deal.  At  any  rate,  they 
make  enough  to  warrant  me  in  writing  the  com 
pany.  I  can  give  them  the  facts,  can't  I?  They 
can  do  what  they  please  with  them  after  they've 
got  them." 

"  Do  you  remember  what  Caesar  said?  ' 

"  Not  much,  and  I  can't  say  I'm  sorry,  either. 
"What  did  J.  Caesar  say?  " 

"  '  Men  believe  that  which  they  wish  to  be 
lieve.'  " 

"  Did  Caesar  say  that?  " 

"Yea." 

"  He  isn't  so  far  off  the  track  as  I  thought 
he  was  when  I  read  all  his  stuff  about  the 
Helvetii,  and  i  all  Gaul,'  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing,  you  know.  No,  I'm  not  forgetting 
Julius'  point.  I've  thought  of  all  that.  But  I 
still  believe  there's  enough  to  make  it  worth 
while  for  me  to  send  a  lettergram  to-night  to 
the  company." 

"  Suppose  these  two  fellows  do  turn  out  to 
be  the  terrible  train-robbers.  What  then? 
Where  do  you  come  in,  Larc?  ' 

"  I  hadn't  thought  very  much  about  that." 

"  But  the  company  has  offered  a  reward  of 
five  thousand  dollars,  hasn't  it?  " 


A  NIGHT  LETTER  219 

"  That's  right.  I'd  almost  forgotten  that 
part  of  it." 

"  Well,  when  you  come  into  your  fortune, 
don't  forget  the  rest  of  us." 

"  I  won't." 

"  Thank  you." 

"  You're  welcome,  I'm  sure." 

61  Here  are  Lee  and  the  reporter,"  said  Scott, 
pointing  as  he  spoke  to  their  two  recent  com 
panions,  who  were  standing  on  the  bridge 
awaiting  their  coming. 

"Have  you  said  anything  about  it  to  Lee?  " 
asked  Scott,  in  a  low  voice,  as  the  two  boys 
drew  near  the  bridge  across  the  Merced. 

"  Not  a  word." 

"  Then  don't—just  yet." 

"  Where  have  you  two  fellows  been?  "  in 
quired  the  reporter,  as  Larcum  and  Scott  ap 
proached.  "  We  thought  you'd  run  away." 

"  Wouldn't  run  very  far,"  laughed  Scott,  as 
he  looked  up  at  the  towering  heights  that  shut 
in  the  valley.  "  The  Yosemite  is  just  an  awful 
hole  cut  right  into  the  earth,  isn't  it?  "  said 
Scott,  as  he  turned  to  look  once  more  at  the 
gray  walls  on  every  side. 

i  i  Yes, ' '  replied  the  reporter,  as  all  four  stood 
looking  up  at  the  walls. 


220  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  I  wonder  what  caused  it  in  the  first 
place?  "  said  Scott. 

"  For  a  long  time  it  was  believed  that  the 
Yosemite  Valley  was  the  result  of  earthquakes 
and  volcanoes,"  suggested  the  reporter. 

"  Don't  they  believe  that  now?  " 

"  The  geologists  now  are  pretty  nearly 
agreed  that  it  was  scooped  out  by  immense 
glaciers,"  explained  the  reporter. 

"  You  do  well  to  put  in  that  '  now,'  "  sniffed 
Larcum.  "  To-morrow  there'll  be  another 
theory,  and  the  next  day  still  another.  I  tell 
you  it's  all  a  matter  of  style,  anyway!  " 
snapped  the  young  giant. 

"  '  Style,'  Larc?  What  do  you  mean?  " 
asked  Scott,  with  a  laugh. 

"  I'm  meaning  what  I  say,  and  then  some 
more.  Oh,  I  know  that  I'm  not  educated, 
as  you  call  it.  I  cut  loose  when  I  found 
I  was  learning  only  such  stuff  as  that 
about  Clearchus  and  his  pet  parasangs. 
But  I  don't  care.  I  find  there's  style  and 
fashion  in  books,  just  the  same  as  there  is  in 
clothes." 

"  Nonsense!    You  know  better,  Larc!  ' 

"  Oh,  I  do,  do  I?  Well,  that's  all  right.  But 
you  just  answer  me  this  question,  why  don't 


A  NIGHT  LETTER  221 

you  use  the  text-book  in  geology  that  was  writ 
ten  twenty-five  years  ago!  " 

"It's  out  of  date  and " 

"  That's  it!  You've  hit  the  bull's-eye  the 
first  time!  "  interrupted  Larcum.  "  Now,  let 
me  ask  you  one  more  question,  why  don't  you 
wear  your  grandfather's  hat?  Tell  me  that, 
will  you!  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  my  grandfather  had  any 
hat,"  laughed  Scott.  "If  he  had,  I've  never 
seen  it.  May  be  one  up  in  our  trunk-room  for 
all  I  know,  but  I've  never  disturbed  it  if  it  is 
there." 

"  Would  you  wear  it  if  you  did  find  it?  " 

"  That  would  depend." 

"  Upon  what!  " 

"  Whether  I  wanted  to  wear  it  for  a  parade 
or  for  use." 

"  You  wouldn't  wear  it  for  use,  and  you 
know  you  wouldn't.  Now,  why  not!  " 

"It  is  out  of  date." 

"  Precisely!  Exactly!  Just  so,  and  then 
some  more!  That's  just  what  you  said  about 
geology,  and  now  you  say  the  same  thing  about 
your  grandfather's  hat — they're  both  out  of 
date.  That  is  precisely  what  I  meant  when  I 
said  there  is  '  fashion  '  in  book-learning  just 


222  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

as  much  as  there  is  in  clothes.  And  that's 
about  all  there  is  to  your  theory  as  to  whether 
this  great  valley  was  made  by  a  volcano  or  by 
a  glacier.  Next  week  it'll  be  '  made  '  by  some 
thing  else  or  in  some  other  way.  Give  me  what 
I  learn  in  the  T.  Gr.  &  P.'s  offices!  I  can  count 
on  that." 

"  Still,  Larc,  you  yourself  believe  in  being 
up  to  date  in  your  clothes,  and  even  in  your 
office  work,  don't  you?  "  laughed  Scott. 

"  You're  right  I  do.  A  man  under  me  has 
to  keep  up  or  quit.  But,  after  all,  there 's  a  big 
difference  between  dressing  in  the  garb  of  the 
present  and  being  a  dude,  isn't  there?  Now, 
that's  just  the  trouble  I  find  with  you  fellows 
and  your  '  up-to-date  '  learning — it's  the  dif 
ference  between  dressing  so  as  not  to  attract 
too  much  attention  and  dressing  like  a  dude. 
You're  a  i  dude  '  in  your  book-learning,  same 
as  some  other  fellow  may  be  in  his  suits  of 
clothes.  See  the  point?  ' 

"  I  see  that  this  is  a  wonderful  place,"  re 
plied  Scott,  as  once  more  he  turned  and  gazed 
at  the  massive,  frowning  walls.  "  It  isn't  half 
so  wonderful  to  me  how  it  came  to  be  as  it  is 
that  it  is  here  now.  Just  look  up  there  at 
Cloud's  Eest!  Why,  that's  over  ten  thousand 


A  NIGHT  LETTER  223 

feet  high.  And  the  Half  Dome — I  can't  get 
over  that!  I " 

"  Of  course  you  can't  get  over  it!  "  growled 
Larcum.  "  Didn't  this  gentleman  say  it 
couldn't  be  climbed  any  more?  "  he  added,  as 
he  turned  to  the  reporter.  "  Come  on!  I'm 
going  back  to  the  hotel.  I  want  to  get  some 
dry  clothes  on  me  the  first  thing  I  do." 

As  soon  as  the  party  returned  they  first 
sought  John's  room,  where  they  found  their 
friend  dressed  and  apparently  no  worse  for  his 
mishap  of  the  afternoon.  Each  boy  then  went 
to  his  own  room,  and  in  a  brief  time  all  four 
were  seated  together  on  the  piazza,  waiting  for 
the  announcement  that  dinner  was  served. 

"  Jack,"  said  Larcum  soberly,  as  he  turned 
to  his  friend,  "  would  you  mind  telling  us  what 
Christopher  Columbus  or  Sunny  Jim  said 
about  the  impression  the  Yosemite  made  on 
them!  " 

"  Indeed,  I  would  mind  it,"  laughed  John. 
"  I've  been  in  the  Merced  once  to-day,  and 
that 's  quite  sufficient  for  my  enfeebled  frame. ' ' 

"  What  did  Barnum  and  A.  Ward,  not  to 
mention  Kit  Carson,  Sherlock  Holmes,  and 
Sozodont,  have  to  say  of  this  wonderful 
place?  " 


224  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Never  again!  " 

"  Please,  Jack." 

11  No,  sir!  " 

li  I'd  be  delighted  to  hear  again  the  remarks 
of  Garfield,  Greeley,  and  any  other  G's  or  J's 
you  have  been  so  fond  of  quoting  to  us." 

"  Not  a  word;  not  a  syllable!  ' 

11  Honest,  Jack,  what  can  I  do  to  show  you 
that  I'm  all  broken  up  over  my  own  foolish 
ness  in  dropping  you  into  the  river?  " 

"  Nothing.  It's  all  right  now,  Larc.  Don't 
try  it  again,  though." 

«  <  rpjy  ft  again?  '  Well,  I  rather  guess  Lit 
tle  Larkie  has  had  an  abundant  sufficiency  of 
experiments  in  the  science  of  smartness!  I'd 
do  'most  anything  for  you,  Jack.  I  believe  I'd 
even  be  willing  to  listen  for  an  hour  or  two 
to  your  quaint  repetitions  of  the  phraseology 
of  the  famous  men  who  frequented  this  far- 
famed  fountain  of  fool  phrases.  I  really  think 
I  could  stand  all  that.  By  the  way,  Jack,  how 
many  parasangs  was  it  that  Clearchus  really 
marched?  " 

11  Enough  to  get  where  he  wanted  to  go." 

"  '  Get  to  go  '  is  good  for  a  Bostonian !  Jack, 
I  never  was  more  in  earnest  in  all  my  young 
life.  You  can  make  me  do  anything  you  want 


A  NIGHT  LETTER  225 

after  this — except  try  any  more  practical  jokes. 
No,  sir;  no  time,  never,  nowhere,  for  nobody, 
does  this  official  of  the  great  T.  G.  &  P.  ever  do 
that  some  more." 

"  Here's  dinner, "  broke  in  Scott. 

The  interruption  instantly  was  heeded,  and 
the  four  boys  hastily  made  their  way  to  the 
dining-room;  but  they  had  been  seated  at  their 
table  only  a  few  minutes  when  the  reporter  en 
tered  and  took  his  seat  beside  John.  "  Feeling 
all  right  again?  "  he  inquired  glibly. 

"  All  right,  thank  you,"  replied  John. 

"  You  didn't  explain  how  you  fell  into  the 
water." 

"  Didn't  I?  " 

"  No.    How  was  it?  " 

"  If  I  tell  you,  will  you  promise  that  the 
story  will  not  be  used  for  publication?  " 

"  Surely.    I'm  on  my  vacation,  anyway." 

"  Well,  then,  I  was  after  the  train-robbers." 

"  After  the  train-robbers?  What  do  you 
mean. ' '  Apparently  unaware  that  he  instantly 
was  the  object  of  keen  interest  on  the  part  of 
two  of  the  boys,  the  reporter  laughed  as  he 
asked  his  question,  "  What  had  the  train-rob 
bers  to  do  with  your  swim  in  the  Merced  this 
morning?  " 


226  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TO  SEMITE 

"  I  say,"  broke  in  Larcum  hastily,  "  do  you 
know  how  long  the  trail  to  Glacier  Point 
is?  " 

"  It's  about  five  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
hotel,"  replied  the  reporter. 

"  On  foot?  " 

"  No,  on  horseback;  though  there  isn't  so 
much  difference  as  you  might  imagine." 

"  Ever  been  up  there?  ' 

"  A  good  many  times.  Are  you  going  up  in 
the  morning?  " 

"  That's  our  plan  now." 

"  I  was  think  of  going  there  myself." 

"  That's  all  right.  Come  along  with  us,  sir," 
said  Lee  cordially. 

"  Thank  you.  Perhaps  I  might,  if  you  aren't 
going  to  stay  all  night." 

"We  don't  expect  to." 

"  Count  on  me — if  I  can  get  a  horse.  It's  not 
bad  walking  if  one  will  follow  his  guide.  You'll 
have  to  take  a  guide,  you  know." 

"  No,  I  didn't  know,"  said  Larcum.  "  Lee," 
he  added,  "  I  wish  you'd  arrange  for  that 
guide  if  we  really  need  one.  Will  you?  ' 

"  Of  course  I  will." 

"  Good.  I've  got  some  other  things  to  at 
tend  to  this  evening." 


A  NIGHT  LETTER  227 

"  What  business  can  you  have  up  here?"  in 
quired  the  reporter  lightly. 

"  My  own." 

"  It's  a  wise  man  who  can  do  that,"  laughed 
the  reporter,  apparently  not  annoyed  by  the 
brusque  reply  of  the  young  giant.  * '  Whatever 
you  do,"  he  added  lightly,  "  you  must  not  fail 
to  see  the  display  of  fireworks  to-night  from 
Glacier  Point.  Instead  of  shooting  up,  they 
are  shot  down  or  thrown  over  the  point  into 
the  valley.  The  effect  is  immense!  " 

An  hour  later  Larcum  joined  his  three 
friends,  who,  with  the  reporter,  were  watching 
the  display  of  fireworks.  Pulling  Scott  by  the 
sleeve  the  young  giant  whispered  to  him,  "  I've 
done  it." 

"  Done  what?  "  asked  Scott  blankly. 

"  Sent  word  to  the  company." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  ASCENT 

THERE  was  no  opportunity  afforded  for 
further  explanations.  Scott,  although  he  was 
eager  to  learn  just  what  word  his  friend  had 
sent,  was  compelled  to  leave  his  questions  un 
asked,  but  the  huge  burning  brands  which  were 
cast  into  the  valley  from  Glacier  Point  were 
sufficient  to  hold  the  interest  of  all  the 
spectators. 

"  I  should  think  they  would  be  afraid  they 
might  set  the  forests  on  fire,"  suggested  Lee. 
"  A  forest  fire 'here  would  not  be  any  laughing 
matter. " 

"  There's  no  danger,"  said  the  reporter 
lightly.  "  One  reason  is  the  the  stuff  falls  on 
the  rocks  below,  and  the  other  is  that  the  fire 
burns  out  before  it  reaches  the  bottom.  It's 
like  what  they  say  about  a  man  falling  over 
one  of  the  cliffs — the  fall  wouldn't  hurt  him, 
because  he'd  starve  to  death  before  he  struck 
the  bottom  of  the  canon." 

228 


THE  ASCENT  229 

"  All  the  same,  I  don't  care  to  try  it,"  said 
Scott  dryly. 

"  Don't!  You  don't  have  to  try  it,  Scott," 
grumbled  Larcum. 

"  I  might  fall  off  my  horse." 

"  You  won't  have  any  horse." 

"  Do  you  think  I'm  going  to  walk?  If  you 
do,  you're  mistaken." 

"  I'm  not  mistaken,  for  I  know  you  too 
well  to  believe  you'd  ever  walk  anywhere 
unless  you  had  to.  I've  looked  out  for  all 
that." 

"  How  am  I  going,  then?    In  a  carriage?  ' 

11  If  there  was  an  ambulance,  I'd  have  en 
gaged  that,  but,  as  there  isn't  anything  of  the 
kind  to  be  had,  I've  done  the  best  I  could  and 
got  you  a  donkey." 

"  Oh,  you'll  like  the  mountain  canary,  all 
right.  He  isn't  very  beautiful,  but  he's  a  sure 
footed  little  creature.  You'll  be  all  right," 
laughed  the  reporter. 

"  What  is  a  mountain  canary?  "  inquired 
Scott. 

"  Haven't  you  ever  seen  one?  Well,  you  will 
to-morrow  morning,"  laughed  the  reporter. 
11  By  the  way,"  he  added,  "  have  you  seen  the 
papers?  " 


230  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TOSEMITE 

"  What  papers?  " 

"  The  San  Francisco  morning  papers." 

11  No.    Anything  in  them?  " 

"  It's  reported  that  the  men  who  held  up 
your  train  have  been  run  to  cover." 

"  Is  that  so?  "  exclaimed  Scott  excitedly. 
"  Where  are  they?  " 

"  The  train-rohbers ?  The  papers  say  it's 
reported  that  one  party  has  traced  them  to  the 
hills  back  of  Davis." 

"Where's  that?  " 

"  Not  far  from  Sacramento." 

"  I  hope  they'll  be  caught." 

"  They'll  be  hanged  if  they  are." 

"  That's  the  law,  I  understand." 

"  Were  there  any  other  reports?  "  inquired 
Larcum,  who  had  been  silent  since  the  reporter 
had  referred  to  the  news  of  the  morning. 

"  Yes — three  or  four.  One  report  had  it  that 
the  train-robbers  had  made  for  San  Francisco, 
another  was  that  they  had  gone  East,  while  still 
another  was  positive  that  the  two  men  had 
separated,  one  going  north  and  the  other  going 
south." 

11  What  do  you  think  of  this  report?  "  asked 
Larcum  quietly. 

"  It  may  be  as  true  as  any." 


TEE  ASCENT  231 

"  That's  so — and  not  one  may  be  the  correct 
one." 

"  Do  you  think  they'll  ever  be  caught?  " 

1 '  I  do !  Just  as  sure  as  it  is  that  I  am  here 
is  it  that  those  two  villains  will  never  get  away 
with  their  stealings." 

"  What  makes  you  so  confident?  "  said  the 
young  reporter  lightly. 

' '  Because  the  railroad  people  will  never  turn 
back  on  the  trail.  If  it  leads  to  Japan  or 
Alaska  it  will  be  followed." 

"  But  the  papers  say  the  robbers  have  been 
run  to  cover  near  Davis,"  suggested  Lee. 
"  That  may  be  true." 

"  It's  true  enough  that  the  papers  say  so," 
assented  Larcum.  "  But  you  can't  tell  any 
thing  about  it  by  that." 

"Why  not?  " 

"  It  may  be  just  a  false  scent — something 
to  throw  those  robbers  off  the  trail.  For 
all  we  know,  those  train-robbers  may  be 
right  here  in  the  Yosemite  Valley  this  very 
minute. ' ' 

"  If  they  are,  you  just  point  them  out  to  us," 
responded  the  reporter  glibly.  "  If  we  can  find 
them,  we'll  all  come  in  for  a  share  of  that  re 
ward  of  five  thousand  dollars  offered  by  the 


232  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  Y08EMITE 

railroad  people.  That's  more  than  the  robbers 
got,  I  fancy." 

"  Yes.  That's  one  reason  why  I  am  so  sure 
both  the  fellows  will  be  taken.  They  weren't 
very  smart." 

"  They  had  a  lot  of  nerve,  though,  Larc; 
you'll  have  to  admit  that,"  said  John. 

'  *  Yes,  they  had  more  nerve  than  brains.  Do 
you  know,  I  often  am  inclined  to  think  there 
isn't  very  much  difference  between  a  fool  and 
a  knave — unless  it  is  that  the  knave  really  is 
a  bigger  fool  than  the  one  who  happens  to  be 
born  that  way." 

"  That's  what  Socrates  used  to  teach,"  said 
John  gravely.  "  He  claimed  that  men  went 
wrong  because  they  didn't  know  any  better.  If 
they  knew  more,  they  wouldn't  do  such  fool 
things  as  a  good  many  of  them  did." 

"  Did  Socrates  say  that?  "  asked  Larcum 
sharply. 

"  He  did,"  replied  John. 

"  Then  I'll  take  back  all  I've  said  about 
studying  Greek.  I  didn't  know  any  of  those 
xld  boys  had  so  much  sense.  I  got  my  impres 
sions  from  reading  how  many  parasangs 
Clearchus  marched  in  a  day's  journey.  How 
many  did  he,  Jack?  " 


THE  ASCENT  233 

"  Never  mind  now,  Larc.  It's  time  we  all 
went  to  bed,  for  we  want  to  get  a  good  start 
early  to-morrow  morning." 

"  That's  good  advice,"  assented  Larcnm. 
"  Now,  if  I  only  knew  what  Jupiter  Pluvius 
and  Senator  Sorghum  thought  about  the  Yo- 
semite  Valley,  I  think  I  could  lay  me  down  to 
sleep." 

"  I  think  you'll  have  to,  anyway,  Larc,"  said 
John  laughingly,  as  the  boys  arose  and  turned 
into  the  hotel. 

An  hour  later,  when  silence  rested  over  the 
region  and  the  lights  of  the  hotel  were  no 
longer  burning,  Scott  made  his  way  to  Lar- 
cum's  room,  and,  opening  the  door,  for  there 
were  no  locks  or  bars,  silently  entered. 

"  Who's  that?  "  demanded  Larcum,  as  he 
sat  quickly  erect  in  bed. 

"  It  isn't  a  train-robber,  Larc.  Don't  be 
frightened,"  replied  Scott,  in  a  low  voice. 
1  i  I'll  promise  not  to  hurt  you." 

"  Humph!    What's  wrong,  Scott?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  much  of  anything  is. 
After  I  left  you  I  went  over  to  the  telegraph 
office." 

"  What  of  it?  " 

"  I  read  your  message." 


234  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  You  did?    Well,  it's  all  right,  isn't  it?  " 

"  I  guess  so,  as  far  as  the  message  is  con 
cerned." 

"  Well,  what  else  is  wrong?  " 

"  I  don't  know  that  anything  is.  Still,  some 
one  else  has  been  reading  your  message, 
too." 

"Who?  " 

"  Guess." 

"  The  reporter?  " 

11  You're  right  the  first  time." 

"  The  operator  didn't  have  any  right  to  let 
him  or  you  or  anybody  else  read  that  message. 
I'll  report  him,  next." 

"  The  <  him  '  is  a  '  her.'  " 

"  Then  I'll  report  her." 

"  Calm  down.  There  hasn't  any  harm  been 
done.  I  thought  I'd  just  let  you  know  what  I'd 
found  out.  That  report  in  the  paper  may  have 
been  just  a  blind,  as  you  said." 

"  All  right.  Good-night,  Scott,"  said  Lar- 
cum,  as  he  turned  upon  his  side. 

"  I  can  take  a  hint,"  laughed  Scott,  "  espe 
cially  when  it  is  as  clear  as  you  have  just  made 
this  one.  Good-night." 

Early  the  following  morning  the  guide  was 
awaiting  the  four  boys.  He  himself  was 


THE  ASCENT  235 

mounted  upon  a  hardy  pony,  and  near  him  were 
standing  two  donkeys. 

"  Have  you  made  arrangements  for  lunch 
eon,  Larc?  "  asked  Scott,  as  the  boys  prepared 
to  mount. 

"  I  have/' 

"  I  don't  see  any  signs  of  it  anywhere." 

"  That  does  not  affect  the  matter  any.  Ar 
rangements  have  been  made  just  the  same. 
Hold  on  a  minute,"  he  added,  as  he  turned  and 
entered  the  office  of  the  hotel;  "I'll  be  with 
you  directly." 

When  Larcum  reappeared,  Scott,  who  was 
keenly  watching  his  friend's  face,  was  con 
vinced  that  news  of  some  startling  kind  had 
been  received,  but  there  was  no  opportunity 
to  speak  to  him  without  being  heard  by  his  com 
panions,  so  he  silently  watched  the  young  giant 
as  he  prepared  to  mount  his  horse. 

"  Hold  on  a  minute,  Larc,"  suggested  Lee. 
"  That  reporter  said  he  wanted  to  go  with  us. 
We  told  him  to  come  along  if  he  liked." 

"  He  isn't  here." 

"  I  know  it,  but  I'll  run  up  to  his  room  and 
call  him." 

"  He  isn't  in  the  hotel." 

"  Where  is  he?  " 


236  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  I  don't  know.  He  left  early  this  morning. 
"Went  on  horseback. " 

"  That's  all  right,  then,"  assented  Lee.  "  All 
I  wanted  was  to  let  him  know  that  we  hadn't 
tried  to  slip  away  for  our  trip  without  him." 

Scott  was  still  observing  Larcum  and  was 
convinced  that  all  the  young  giant  had  learned 
concerning  the  early  departure  of  the  reporter 
had  not  been  related.  It  was  still  impossible, 
however,  to  have  a  word  with  him  alone,  for, 
at  the  suggestion  of  the  guide,  the  boys  mounted 
their  steeds  and  together  started  down  the 
road,  so  that  what  conversation  they  held  was, 
perforce,  general  and  incidental. 

Not  long  afterward  the  road  was  left  for 
the  trail  and  the  ascent  was  begun.  John  and 
Scott,  mounted  upon  their  patient  donkeys, 
brought  up  the  rear  of  the  little  procession. 
The  fact  that  neither  was  a  skilled  rider  was 
too  manifest  to  cause  any  remarks,  and,  as  the 
little  procession  moved  steadily  forward,  for  a 
time  no  one  spoke. 

"  If  I'd  known  the  trail  was  as  smooth  and 
safe  as  this,"  said  John,  when  an  hour  had 
elapsed,  "  I  think  I'd  have  chosen  to  walk." 

"  You'll  have  plenty  of  time  for  walking," 
rejoined  Scott.  "  Before  we  leave  the  valley 


TEE  ASCENT  237 

we'll  try  some  of  the  trails  where  even  a  don 
key  can't  make  his  way." 

"  Just  see  how  we're  beginning  to  zigzag," 
said  John,  a  little  later.  "  We're  cutting  back 
and  forth  right  across  the  face  of  the  cliff.  We 
must  be  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  valley 
now. ' ' 

"  Don't  look  down,  Jack,  if  you  feel  dizzy," 
called  Larcum,  who  was  riding  directly  behind 
the  guide.  ' '  Want  me  to  come  back  there  and 
ride  behind  you!  " 

11  No.  I  wouldn't  take  that  chance  now.  I 
don't  just  like  it,  but  I  wouldn't  have  that 
frisky  steed  of  yours  try  to  get  behind  my  don 
key  now.  Whew!  "  John  added,  drawing  a 
long  breath,  as  the  trail,  which  led  along  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  became  so  narrow  that 
it  did  not  seem  possible  that  a  horseman  could 
be  passed  if  one  should  be  met. 

"  Hang  on  and  look  up,"  said  Larcum  en 
couragingly. 

"I'm  hanging  on,  all  right,"  replied  John. 
"  If  I  can  only  keep  on,  I  never '11  find  a  word 
of  fault  with  beast  or  man." 

"  It  isn't  so  bad,"  said  Lee,  who  was  thor 
oughly  at  home  on  the  back  of  a  horse.  ' '  This 
is  fine!  It's  such  a  pretty  day,  too " 


238  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TO  SEMITE 

"  If  yon  say  that  again,  I  know  I'll  lose  my 
hold!  "  called  John. 

"  Bnt  yon 're  losing  half  the  fnn  if  you  don't 
look  down.  The  river  looks  as  if  yon  conld 
step  across  it.  And  yet  there  are  people 
who  say  they'd  rather  see  the  Alps  than 
this!'' 

' '  I  never  had  any  idea  that  the  Sierras  were 
so  bleak.  There  isn't  a  spear  of  grass  to  be 
seen  anywhere,"  said  Scott.  "  They  are  jnst 
great,  gray  granite  masses." 

"  Keep  still,  Scott.  I  can  stand  some  things, 
bnt  I  draw  the  line  on  descriptions  jnst  now. 
The  sight  is  enongh  for  me,  I  tell  yon!  " 

"  We'll  stop  here  a  minnte  and  give  the 
horses  a  chance  to  rest,"  said  the  gnide,  as  the 
party  arrived  on  a  rocky  shelf  whose  border 
was  so  sharply  defined  that  to  step  over  its 
edge  wonld  precipitate  one  to  the  deepest 
depths  of  the  valley  below. 

"  This  is  magnificent!  "  exclaimed  Lee,  as 
he  looked  down  npon  the  floor  of  the  valley  far 
below  them. 

"  Save  yonr  adjectives,  Lee,"  remarked  Lar- 
cnm.  "  We  aren't  more  than  halfway  np  the 
side  yet.  When  we  get  to  the  top,  yon '11  want 
some  of  yonr  vocabulary  in  reserve." 


THE  ASCENT  239 

"  Did  any  one  ever  fall  over  here?  "  inquired 
John  of  the  guide. 

' '  Nobody  in  my  parties, ' '  the  guide  replied. 

"  Don't  you  spoil  his  record,  Jack,"  laughed 
Scott. 

"I'll  do  my  best." 

"  Jack,  perhaps  you  don't  want  to  go  on  any 
farther,"  suggested  Larcum.  "  If  you  don't, 
I'll  stay  with  you  or  go  back  to  the  hotel  with 
you  if  that  is  what  you'd  rather  do." 

John  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  said 
quietly:  "  No,  I'm  going  on  with  you.  I  don't 
know  just  what  it  is  that  makes  me  feel  a  lit 
tle  shaky." 

"  I  do,"  said  Larcum. 

"  What?  " 

"  Your  trip  yesterday  down  the  Merced.  I 
was  to  blame  for  that,  and,  if  you  want  to  go 
back,  I'll  go  with  you,"  said  Larcum. 

"I'm  going  on!  "  declared  John  firmly. 
"  There  isn't  any  use  in  being  squeamish.  I'll 
stick  to  the  party — likewise  to  the  donkey.  No, 
sir,  I'm  going  on.  Here!  not  that  way!  "  he 
shouted,  as  the  little  beast  on  which  he  was 
mounted  crept  to  the  outermost  border  of  the 
trail.  "Here!  Stop!  Stop  that!  I'll  get  off 
if  you  don't  quit  it!  "  shouted  John,  as  his 


240  FOUR  BOY 8  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

donkey,  leaning  low  on  its  forelegs,  thrust  its 
head  over  the  cliff  in  its  attempt  to  secure  the 
leaves  of  a  small  bush  which  was  growing  in 
the  crannies  of  the  rock.  There  was  an  instant 
rush  to  the  aid  of  the  helpless  John,  who  was 
striving  desperately  to  free  his  feet  from  the 
stirrups. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE   TRAIL 

"  SIT  still,  you're  all  right!"  shouted  the 
guide,  as  John's  predicament  became  manifest 
to  all  the  boys. 

Before  any  one  could  act,  however,  Larcum 
leaped  from  the  back  of  his  horse  and,  rush 
ing  to  the  place  where  John  was  struggling,  he 
seized  the  diminutive  donkey  by  the  tail,  and, 
exerting  all  his  strength,  managed  to  draw  the 
little  animal  and  its  rider  back  from  the  brink. 
The  donkey,  indignant  at  the  unexpected  as 
sistance,  laid  back  its  ears  and  began  to  kick 
viciously.  At  the  same  time  it  emitted  several 
long-drawn  "  hee-haws,"  expressive  of  its 
feelings. 

"  There's  the  mountain  canary  you  were 
talking  abo'ut!  '  said  Lee,  attempting  to 
speak  lightly,  although  his  face  was  ghastly 
white,  expressive  of  the  terror  he  had  suf 
fered. 

"  Don't  ever  try  that  again!  "  said  the  guide 

241 


242  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

sharply.  "  Whatever  you  do,  stick  to  the  back 
of  the  animal  you're  riding." 

' '  If  that  donkey  had  gone  over  the  edge,  and 
had  started  like  a  flying-machine  for  the  Sen 
tinel  Hotel  down  below,  you  wouldn't  want  Jack 
to  hang  on,  would  you!  "  asked  Larcum,  some 
what  indignantly.  "  I  know  I  wouldn't  want 
Mm  to." 

"  The  donkey  is  all  right,"  retorted  the 
guide.  "  If  there  ever  is  any  trouble,  it's  al 
ways  with  the  rider.  Now,  don't  never,  no 
time,  try  to  get  off  the  back  of  an  animal  you're 
riding  when  you're  on  the  trail." 

"  But  he  almost  went  over,"  said  John 
quietly. 

"  No,  he  didn't,  neither!  A  donkey  never 
goes  over — that  is,  unless  some  fool  rider  makes 
him.  You  stick  to  the  donkey  and  you'll  be  as 
safe  as  a  bug  in  a  rug." 

"  Didn't  you  ever  see  or  hear  of  a  donkey 
falling?  "  asked  Scott. 

"  Never.  He's  the  surest-footed  little  beast 
in  creation." 

"I've  heard  of  their  falling  and  being 
dashed  to  pieces,"  persisted  Scott. 

"  Well,  all  I  can  say  is  that  you  didn't  hear 
straight,  that's  all,"  retorted  the  guide.  "  A 


TEE  TRAIL  243 

donkey  is  almost  as  sure  on  foot  as  a  fly; 
is." 

"  But  the  pack-mules  sometimes  fall,"  de 
clared  Scott.  "I've  heard  of  their  falling,  and 
seen  pictures  of  them,  too,  in  the  very  act." 

"  Pack-mules  is  different.  Of  course,  if  a 
mule  is  overloaded  or  its  load  isn't  balanced  as 
it  ought  to  be,  there  may  be  trouble;  but  I'm 
not  talking  about  pack-mules;  I'm  talking  about 
donkeys  on  the  trail  to  Glacier  Point." 

"  This  donkey  had  a  load — he  had  Jack  on 
his  back." 

' '  That  don 't  make  no  difference !  That  don 
key  wouldn't  miss  his  footing.  I've  known  him 
for  years  and  he's  as  sure  as  death." 

"  Want  to  go  back,  Jack?  "  inquired  Lar- 
cum. 

"  Why  should  I  want  to  go  back?  "  de^ 
manded  John. 

"  I  didn't  know  but  you  had  had  enough  for 
one  day." 

"  Well,  I  haven't.  I'm  going  on  to  the  top," 
said  John  quietly.  "  When  I  put  my  hand  to 
the  plow  I  don't  look  back." 

66  Your  grit  is  all  right,"  laughed  Larcum,  a 
little  uneasily;  "  but  are  you  sure  you  feel 
strong  enough  to  go  on!  " 


244  FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  YO SEMITE 

"  You  just  watch  me." 

"  All  right,  then,  we  might  as  well  start," 
said  Larcum  to  the  guide. 

"  Whatever  happens,  you  stick  to  the  back 
of  that  little  donkey,"  said  the  guide  to  John. 
"  Don't  forget  that  he's  just  as  fond  of  his 
life  as  you  be  o'  yours.  He  won't  slip — you 
can  rest  easy  'bout  that." 

"  I'll  be  as  easy  as  I  can,"  replied  John 
lightly.  "  The  only  thing  I  don't  really  enjoy 
is  having  my  little  l  mountain  canary  '  put  his 
head  over  the  edge  of  a  precipice  and  try  to 
sing  to  the  people  down  in  the  valley  two  or 
three  thousand  feet  below.  I  don't  like  that, 
and  I  must  say,  too,  that  I  have  had  experi 
ences  I  have  enjoyed  more  than  I  do  that  when 
the  donkey  kneels  and  tries  to  bite  off  some  of 
the  leaves  on  the  brush  growing  right  out  of 
the  rock  just  below  the  border  of  the  trail. 
That  makes  me  a  trifle  uneasy,  for  he  might 
slip  or  something,  you  understand." 

"  Not  a  bit  o'  danger,"  said  the  guide  con 
fidently.  "  You  stick  to  the  donkey  and  he'll 
stick  to  you.  If  you  feel  dizzy,  just  look 
straight  up;  don't  qver  look  down." 

"I'm  all  right  now!  "  declared  John.  "  Go 
on  with  the  procession."  The  ascent  was  re- 


THE  TRAIL  245 

sumed,  and  John  smiled  as  Larcum  positively 
declared  that  he  was  going  to  "  form  the 
rear  guard — a  la  Clearchus."  There  were  no 
further  mishaps,  however,  when  the  party  ar 
rived  at  Union  Point,  which  the  guide  ex 
plained  was  two-thirds  of  the  distance  from  the 
valley  to  Glacier  Point. 

"  How  high  are  we  now?  "  inquired  Scott. 

"  Sixty- three  hundred  and  fourteen  feet. 
Get  a  fine  view  here,  though  naturally  it  isn't 
as  good  as  what  we'll  see  when  we  get  clear 
up." 

"  When  will  that  be?"  asked  Lee. 

"  Pretty  quick." 

Wonderful  as  the  view  of  the  great  valley 
below  them  was,  the  boys  did  not  long  delay  at 
Union  Point.  Steadily  making  their  way  up 
ward,  stopping  for  an  occasional  rest  for  the 
horses,  still  following  the  trail,  which  zigzagged 
along  the  steep  face  of  the  cliff,  they  continued 
on  their  way  until  at  last  they  found  them 
selves  on  Glacier  Point.  Leaving  their  horses 
and  mules  in  charge  of  the  guide,  all  four  boys 
ran  toward  the  long  iron  rail  that  had  been 
fixed  between  two  of  the  huge  rocks,  and,  stand 
ing  near  the  flagstaff  that  had  been  erected 
there,  in  silence  they  gazed  down  at  the  won- 


246  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

derful  valley  below  them.  Its  tremendous 
sides  seemed  to  be  even  more  precipitous  than 
before.  Waterfalls,  cliffs,  overhanging  moun 
tains,  forests,  great  bare  rocks  seemed  almost 
to  combine  to  deepen  the  impression  the  mar 
velous  spectacle  produced.  The  mountain- 
tops  were  apparently  almost  on  a  level  with 
the  place  where  the  boys  were  standing.  The 
Yosemite  Valley  itself  was  straight  down  be 
low  them,  its  narrow  green  floor  being  appar 
ently  divided  into  two  parts  by  the  shining 
waters  of  the  Merced. 

"  We're  on  the  rock  that  reaches  straight 
out  over  the  valley,"  said  Scott,  at  last,  the 
first  to  break  in  upon  the  eloquent  silence. 

"  Isn't  there  anything  under  us?  "  asked 
John  hastily. 

"  Not  a  thing.  We're  standing  on  a  shelf  of 
rock  that  hangs  out  over  the  valley.  If 
it  should  happen  to  break  off,  we'd  never  have 
to  go  back  on  the  horses  and  donkeys." 

"  How  high  are  we?  ' 

"  Pretty  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half — between 
seven  and  eight  thousand  feet." 

"  I'm  glad  I  came,"  murmured  John.  "  The 
Yosemite  Valley  is  just  a  great  bowl  scooped 
out  of  the  Sierras,  isn't  it?  " 


THE  TRAIL  247 

"  That,  and  a  little  more,"  said  Scott. 

"  Which  is  more  impressive,  Lee,  the  val 
ley  or  these  great  bleak,  barren,  steep  sides  of 
the  mountains  that  shut  it  in!  "  asked  Jack. 

11  Both.  You  couldn't  have  one  without  the 
other,  could  you?  It's  like  the  question  my 
grandfather  used  to  ask  me  when  my  grand 
mother  would  give  me  a  cookie — one  of  those 
round  kind  that  has  a  hole  in  the  middle,  all 
surrounded  by  the  cookie,  you  know.  He  used 
to  ask  me  if  I  ate  the  hole,  and,  when  I'd  tell 
him  I  hadn't,  he'd  want  to  know  what  had  be 
come  of  it?  " 

"  Did  you  tell  him?  "  asked  Scott. 

"  No,  I  never  found  out.  But  I  thought  of 
it  when  Jack  here  asked  me  his  question.  • 

"  Jack  is  feeling  better,"  laughed  Lee. 
"  He  begins  to  show  again  where  he  was 
born." 

"  I'm  feeling  better  than  I  shall  on  my  way 
back,  I'm  afraid,"  said  John.  "  It's  worse  go 
ing  down  than  it  is  coming  up,  isn't  it?  "  he 
inquired  of  the  guide,  who  now  had  joined  the 
party. 

"  You're  right  it  is,"  replied  the  guide. 

"  You  told  me  to  look  up.  How  am  I  going 
to  do  that  on  my  way  down  the  mountain?  " 


248  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  You  can't.  You'll  just  have  to  shut  your 
eyes  and  hang  on.  The  donkey  will  do  the 
rest." 

"  If  you'd  rather  walk,  Jack,  I'll  walk  with 
you,"  suggested  Larcum. 

t  i  I  'm  not  going  to  walk ;  I  'm  going  to  ride !  ' 
declared  John.    "  I  told  you  that  before,"  he 
added,  a  little  testily. 

"  So  you  did,"  laughed  Larcum.  "  I  for 
got  that  some  of  the  grit  of  Plymouth  Eock 
is  in  your  make-up.  You  are  all  right, 
Jack." 

"It's  time  for  luncheon,  isn't  it?  "  asked 
Scott. 

"  Any  time  is  that  with  you,  Scott,"  said 
Larcum.  "  Still,  I'll  be  generous  and  join  you 
in  a  frugal  repast." 

The  boys  turned  back  and  at  once  went  to 
the  little  Glacier  Point  Hotel  where,  as  they 
were  compelled  to  wait  for  a  time  before  they 
could  be  served,  they  seated  themselves  on  the 
piazza  to  await  the  announcement  for  which  all 
four  were  eager. 

"  Larc,"  said  Scott,  who  was  seated  be 
side  his  friend,  a  little  apart  from  the  others, 
"  what  do  you  make  of  the  disappearance  of 
the  reporter?  " 


THE  TRAIL  249 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Larcum  soberly, 
"  that  it  means  he  has  gone." 

"  Yes,  but  why  did  he  go?  " 

"  Because  he  didn't  desire  to  linger  longer." 

"  Do  you  think  he  suspects  us  of  suspect 
ing  him?  " 

"  I  surely  do.  We've  made  a  mistake  in  let 
ting  him  get  any  such  impression.  It's  just 
another  lesson  that  no  one  ought  to  talk  be 
fore  he  has  something  to  say.  Now,  if  the  rail 
road  people  send  a  man  up  here,  I'll  be  in  a 
fine  predicament,  won't  I?  I'm  half- inclined 
to  make  trouble  for  the  operator  here.  She 
had  no  right  to  let  him  see  my  lettergram." 

"  Of  course  she  hadn't,  but  she  did.  What 
made  you  put  your  lettergram  so  strong!  You 
said  right  out  that  the  two  men  might  be  the 
train-robbers." 

"  Well,  what  would  you  say?  That  was  what 
I  wanted  to  tell." 

"  Not  at  that  time." 

"  Yes,  I  did  at  that  time,"  grumbled  Larcum. 
"  I  don't  know  that  it  will  do  any  harm,  after 
all.  If  the  reporter  is  the  man  that's  wanted, 
he  can't  get  away  even  if  he  does  leave  the 
Yo  semite." 

"  It  does  look  suspicious,  doesn't  it?  "  said 


250  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Scott  thoughtfully.  "  The  fellow  leaves  with 
out  a  word  just  as  soon  as  he  finds  out  that 
you  have  sent  a  lettergram  to  San  Francisco." 

"  Oh,  there  are  a  whole  lot  of  things  that 
squint  that  way.  Have  you  said  anything 
about  the  matter  to  any  one?  ' 

"  Not  a  word.    Have  you?  " 

"  Have  I?  What  do  you  think  I  am,  any 
way?  " 

"  You're  all  right,  Larc,  if  you  do  take  your 
self  a  little  too  seriously.  Come  on,  there's  the 
first  call  for  luncheon." 

Joining  their  friends,  the  boys  at  once  made 
their  way  to  the  dining-room,  where,  for  a 
time,  conversation  ceased  while  they  were  busy 
with  the  luncheon  that  was  served.  At  their 
table  two  other  boys,  of  nearly  the  same  age 
as  the  young  travelers,  were  seated,  and,  in  a 
brief  time,  the  strangers  explained  that  they 
were  students  in  one  of  the  larger  colleges  of 
California.  The  interest  of  each  party  in  the 
other  was  speedily  keen  and  the  questions  each 
asked  showed  clearly  that  the  knowledge  the 
Western  boys  possessed  of  the  older  institu 
tions  in  the  East  was  much  greater  than  that 
which  the  Eastern  boys  had  of  the  colleges  on 
the  Pacific  coast. 


TEE  TRAIL  251 

"  That's  the  way  of  it,"  laughed  one  of  the 
Western  boys.  "  You  people  back  East  don't 
know  that  there  is  anything  worth  while  west 
of  the  Mississippi." 

"  Is  there  anything?  "  asked  Scott  demurely. 

"  What  are  you  fellows  doing  out  here  on 
your  vacation  if  there  isn't?  Do  you  suppose 
the  crowds  that  think  they  have  to  go  abroad 
to  see  the  Alps,  if  they  want  mountains,  find 
anything  better  than  there  is  right  in  their 
own  country?  Is  there  anything  anywhere  to 
be  compared  with  the  Yo Semite?  What  kind  of 
an  American,  anyway,  is  the  man  who  thinks 
he  must  go  to  Europe  before  he  finds  out  what, 
as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  he  has  in  his 
own  land?  " 

"  What's  the  use?"  said  John.  "You 
might  as  well  compare  a  valley  with  a  moun 
tain  and  say  which  is  better.  Have  you  ever 
been  East?  " 

"  Yes — as  far  as  Denver." 

"  That's  good,"  laughed  John.  "  Didn't 
you  like  it?  " 

"  Denver  is  one  of  the  finest  cities  I  ever 
saw. ' ' 

"  You  ought  to  see  Boston,"  broke  in  Lar- 
cum.  "  Ever  hear  of  the  town?  " 


252  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Yes,  a  few  times." 

"  Well,  if  the  native  Bostonian  wasn't  so 
modest,  you'd  hear  more  of  it.  It's  hard  work 
to  make  a  Boston  fellow  really  feel  that  what 
he  has  is  so  much  better  than  anything  else  in 
the  whole  world.  Isn't  it,  Jack?"  Larcum 
added,  turning  to  John  as  he  spoke. 

"  Not  if  he  compares  it  with  woolly,  beefy, 
porcine,  raw,  windy  Chicago,"  retorted  John,  a 
little  warmly. 

"  Good!  "  exclaimed  Larcum.  "  Fine!  You 
see  what  I  mean,  don't  you?  "  he  laughingly 
demanded  of  the  Western  college  boy. 

"  I  think  I  do.  Are  you  going  to  the  Sen 
tinel  to-night?  " 

"  Yes.    We  came  up  this  morning." 

"  That's  fine!  We're  going  there  ourselves. 
To-morrow  we're  going  to  take  a  tramp  up  to 
Vernal  Falls." 

"  Where  did  you  get  him?  " 

"  Get  what?  " 

"  Your  '  tramp.'  You  said  you  were  going 
to  take  one  to  Vernal  Falls." 

"  Yes;  I  see,"  said  the  college  boy  slowly. 
11  I  thought,  perhaps,  you  might  want  to  come 
with  us." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE   CLIMB 

THE  descent  was  even  more  difficult  for  John 
than  was  the  climb  of  the  morning.  To  look 
up  was  impossible,  and  the  view  below  him 
was  so  steep  that  at  times  it  seemed  to  the 
young  rider  almost  impossible  for  his  donkey 
to  make  it.  Not  a  word  did  John  speak,  how 
ever,  and  only  his  colorless  face  betrayed  the 
fear  that  gripped  him.  He  was  not  aware  how 
closely  and  carefully  Larcum  was  following 
him,  nor  how  anxious  the  young  giant  was  that 
his  friend  should  not  meet  with  any  mishap. 

When  at  last  the  little  party  arrived  at  the 
Sentinel  no  one  was  more  relieved  than  was 
Larcum,  though  he  endeavored  to  conceal  his 
feeling  from  John,  who,  he  was  aware,  would 
resent  anything  resembling  sympathy  from  his 
companions. 

"  The  donkey  was  the  least  concerned  mem 
ber  of  the  band,"  said  John  lightly,  as  he  and 
Larcum  sought  their  rooms. 

253 


254  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  The  little  beasts  never  stumble, "  re 
sponded  Larcum.  "  That's  what  makes  them 
so  valuable  for  mountain  climbing. " 

"  What  do  we  do  to-morrow!  " 

"  The  guide  suggested  that  we  should  go  to 
Vernal  and  Nevada  Falls." 

"  How  do  we  go?  " 

"  You  can  drive  almost  all  the  way  if  you 
want." 

"  Suppose  I  don't  '  want  '!  " 

"  Then  you  may  go  as  you  please,"  laughed 
Larcum,  relieved  at  his  discovery  that  his 
friend  apparently  was  not  suffering  from  any 
bad  effects  of  his  involuntary  plunge  into  the 
cold,  rushing  waters  of  the  Merced. 

11  How  are  you  going?  ' 

"We'd  thought  of  walking." 

"  That  suits  me." 

"  We'll  talk  it  over  after  dinner,"  said  Lar 
cum,  "  and  see  what  Lee  and  Scott  have  to 
say." 

After  dinner  the  group  assembled  on  the 
piazza  of  the  hotel,  where  they  were  joined  by 
one  of  the  college  boys  whom  they  had  met  on 
Glacier  Point.  In  the  course  of  the  conversa 
tion  their  new  friend  explained  that  his  name 
was  Dana  Watkins,  and  that  for  several  years 


THE  CLIMB  255 

past  he  had  spent  each  summer  vacation  in  the 
Yosemite. 

"  How  long  a  walk  is  it  to  Vernal  and  Ne 
vada  Falls?  "  inquired  Lee. 

"  About  five  and  a  half  miles,"  said  Dana. 

"  That's  eleven  miles,  then,  for  the  round 
trip,"  suggested  Larcum.  "  That's  a  pretty 
long  tramp  for  Lee." 

"  Lee  can  do  it,  if  the  rest  of  you  want  to," 
spoke  up  Lee  promptly. 

"  But  you'll  have  to  work — and  you  know 
that  never  agreed  with  you." 

"I'm  ready — if  you  are.  How  about  you, 
Jack?  "  asked  Lee. 

"I'm  for  walking,"  responded  John 
promptly.  "  No  more  donkeys  for  me,  unless 
I'm  compelled  to  ride.  I  felt  almost  as  if  I 
was  standing  on  my  head  when  we  were  coming 
down  from  Glacier  Point.  My  little  beast 
wanted  to  stop  and  pick  some  more  of  the  plants 
over  the  edge  of  the  trail.  I  wonder  what  would 
happen  if  he  should  get  too  far  over!  " 

"  I  don't  know  much  about  Clearchus,  but 
I  know  that,"  snapped  Larcum. 

"What?  " 

"He'd  fall." 

"Why?  " 


256  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Law  of  gravitation." 

"  You're  all  right,  Larc,"  laughed  John. 
"  Maybe  you  can  explain  why  a  needle  won't 
stand  on  its  point." 

"  Geometry  says  there  isn't  any  such  thing 
as  a  '  point.'  It  exists  only  in  your  imagina 
tion.  Well,  if  there  isn't  any  such  thing  as  a 
point,  a  needle  can't  have  any,  can  it?  Then, 
if  it  hasn't  any,  it  can't  stand  on  something  it 
hasn't  got.  See?  " 

"  Call  it  the  tip,  then,  not  the  point,"  laughed 
John. 

"  The  center  of  gravitation  falls  outside  the 
base." 

"  Correct!  Magnificent!  "  exclaimed  John, 
as  all  the  boys  laughed. 

"  Oh,  you  are  too  much  for  me,"  sighed  Lar- 
cum.  "  You  asked  me  just  now  why  a  needle 
wouldn't  stand  on  its  point,  didn't  you?  " 

"I  did." 

11  Well,  let  me  tell  you  something — it  will, 
if  you  stick  it  in." 

"  You're  impossible,  Larc!  " 

"  Why  am  I  impossible?  Didn't  you  tell  me 
just  now  that  I  was  '  correct,'  '  magnificent,' 
et  cetera?  " 

11  Mostly  '  et  cetera,'  I'm  afraid." 


THE  CLIMB  257 

"  What  time  would  you  like  to  start  to-mor 
row?  "  inquired  Dana. 

"  Early,"  said  Scott  promptly. 

"  We  can  order  breakfast  at  six." 

"  That's  a  good  time.  We'll  be  started  by 
nine  if  we  can  get  Larc  out  of  bed,"  said  Scott. 

"  I'll  be  the  first  one  in  the  dining-room  to 
morrow  morning!  "  said  Larcum  promptly. 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,"  said  Scott,  wink 
ing  at  Lee. 

"  I'll  be  on  hand,  and,  if  it's  necessary,  I'll 
see  that  all  the  rest  of  you  are,  too.  Do  we 
need  a  guide?  "  Larcum  added,  as  he  turned 
to  Dana. 

"  I  know  the  way,"  replied  Dana.  "  If 
you're  willing  to  trust  me,  I'll  do  my  best,  and 
you  can  save  your  money." 

"  We'll  go  without  a  guide,"  said  John 
quickly. 

"  That's  Bostonian  thrift  for  you,"  laughed 
Lee. 

"  It's  common  sense,"  retorted  John. 
"  What  do  we  want  a  guide  along  with  us  for 
when  we're  better  off  and  happier  without 
one?  " 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen,"  said  Dana 
quietly.  "  There  are  two  fellows  here  who  say 


258  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

they're  going  to  follow  the  trail  to  the  top  of 
Cloud's  Kest  to-morrow  morning,  and  they're 
going  without  a  guide,  too." 

"  Isn't  it  safe?  " 

"  '  Safe!  '  Why,  man,  those  fellows  are 
crazy !  I  like  to  see  a  man  have  nerve,  but  I've 
no  use  for  a  fool.  They'll  lose  the  trail;  they're 
likely  to  slip  or  fall,  and,  if  they  do,  nobody  on 
earth  can  help  them.  The  guides  don't  go  there 
much,  and,  even  when  they  do,  some  of  them 
keep  a  good  supply  of  rope  and  pegs  on  hand. 
These  fellows  are  simply  foolhardy  to  talk  of 
any  such  thing." 

11  Who  are  the  fellows?  "  asked  Larcum. 

"  Two  young  chaps  from  San  Francisco. 
One  of  them  is  a  reporter  on  one  of  the  daily 
papers  there " 

"  But  he  left  early  this  morning,"  inter 
rupted  Larcum  sharply. 

"  Did  he?  Well,  he's  back  now,  and  he  has 
a  friend  with  him.  I  saw  them  right  after  din 
ner,  and  the  reporter  told  me  he  was  going  to 
start  for  Cloud's  Best  early  to-morrow  morn 
ing.  He  said  he  and  his  friend  would  take 
three  days  if  necessary." 

"  Do  you  know  this  reporter?  "  asked  Lar 
cum  quietly. 


THE  CLIMB  259 

"  I've  seen  him  here." 

"  When?  " 

"  Oh,  several  times.  He  was  here  last  sum 
mer,  too." 

11  What  is  his  name?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  I  do,  and  I'll  tell  yon,"  spoke  up  some 
one  who  at  that  moment  approached  the  little 
party.  As  the  boys  looked  up,  they  saw 
that  the  reporter  himself  was  speaking  to 
them. 

11  When  did  you  come  back?  Where  have 
you  been?  We  missed  you  to-day,"  said  Scott 
quickly.  "  You  were  going  with  us  up  to 
Glacier  Point,  you  know." 

66  Yes,  I  know,"  replied  the  reporter  lightly, 
"but  I  had  to  go  over  to  El  Portal  early 
this  morning.  That's  the  trouble  with  a  news 
paper  man,  he  never  can  depend  upon  his  time. 
He's  almost  as  bad  as  a  physician;  he's 
liable  to  be  called  out  at  any  time,  day  or 
night." 

"  A  good  deal  worse  than  some  doctors  that 
I  know,"  remarked  Larcum  dryly. 

"  That's  right;  a  good  deal  worse,  for  some 
times  he  has  to  deal  with  fool  '  stories,'  :'  re 
marked  the  reporter. 


260  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  Are  you  really  going  to  try  to  make 
Cloud's  Best!  "  asked  Lee. 

"  You  heard  what  young  Watkins  just  told 
you." 

"  He  says  it's  dangerous." 

"  That's  very  likely." 

"  Why  do  you  try  it,  then?  " 

"  Oh,  that's  one  of  the  things  you  never  can 
understand.  I  fancy  those  train-robbers  that 
held  up  your  train  knew  there  was  some  danger 
in  doing  what  they  did;  but  that  didn't  stop 
them,  did  it?  " 

"  It  didn't  seem  to,"  acknowledged  John. 
"  Do  you  hear  anything  more  of  them?  " 

"  No  more  than  you  have  heard.  You  have 
seen  the  papers." 

"  Probably  they're  hid  away  in  some  canon, 
waiting  for  the  trouble  to  blow  over,"  said 
Larcum  quietly. 

"  That's  what  the  paper  says." 

"  Is  that  what  you  believe?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  believe.  No  two  ever 
act  alike.  Sometimes  they'll  go  straight  to  the 
big  cities,  and  then  again  they'll  hide  away 
among  the  hills." 

"  Do  they  ever  come  into  the  Yosemite  to 
hide?  "  asked  Lee. 


TEE  CLIMB  261 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  heard  of  any  do 
ing  that.  It  wouldn't  be  a  bad  place  for  that 
kind  of  work,  would  it?  ' 

"  Come  on,  fellows.  If  we  start  as  early  to 
morrow  morning  as  we've  agreed  to,  we'll  have 
to  turn  in  now,  so  that  Jack  will  get  his 
sleep " 

"  You  can  speak  for  yourself,  Larc,"  inter 
rupted  John.  "I'm  not  one  that  has  to  be 
wrapped  up  in  cotton  batting  and  put  away  to 
keep." 

All  five  boys,  however,  had  risen,  and,  as 
soon  as  they  started  up  the  stairs,  Larcum 
touched  Scott  on  the  arm,  indicating  his  desire 
for  his  friend  to  delay  a  moment. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  it,  Lare?  "  asked 
Scott,  when  the  two  boys  were  left  to  them 
selves.  "Is  he  really  going  to  do  what  he 
says?  " 

"  I  don't  know.    What  do  you  think?  " 

1 1  I  think  he  '11  start,  all  right.  Strange  about 
his  friend  being  here." 

"  Not  so  very  strange.  He's  been  here  be 
fore.  I  don't  know  where  he  is  now.  Come 
on,  Scott.  We'll  see  if  the  operator  hasn't  had 
some  word  for  me." 

A  visit  to  the  telegraph  office,  however,  failed 


262  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

to  reveal  any  word  in  reply  to  the  message  that 
Larcum  had  sent.  Still  puzzled,  the  boys  at 
last  sought  their  rooms,  leaving  their  perplex 
ing  problem  unsolved. 

Early  in  the  morning,  when  the  boys  started 
on  their  journey,  the  reporter  joined  them, 
and  in  response  to  their  inquiries,  explained 
that  his  friend  had  already  preceded  him  and 
would  be  waiting  for  him  where  the  trail  di 
verged  from  the  one  that  the  young  travelers 
were  to  follow. 

"  Why  do  you  take  such  a  dangerous  trip 
alone?  "  inquired  Lee  of  the  reporter,  as  the 
party  trudged  forward. 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  so  dangerous;  it's  just  hard. 
We  may  find  some  deep  snow  before  we  get  to 
the  top;  but  that's  the  worst." 

"  You'll  find  slippery  rocks  and  a  blind 
trail,"  said  young  Watkins.  "  I  like  a  hard 
trail  myself;  but,  without  a  guide,  I'm  afraid 
you'll  have  troubles  of  your  own." 

"  Here's  where  we  leave  you,"  said  Dana, 
as  the  party  came  to  a  dividing  of  the  ways. 
61  Where  is  your  friend?  " 

"  Not  very  far  away,  I  guess,"  said  the  re 
porter,  as  he  placed  a  finger  in  his  mouth  and 
whistled  twice  in  a  peculiar  way.  An  answer- 


THE  CLIMB  263 

ing  whistle  came  from  up  the  trail,  and  then 
the  reporter  laughingly  said,  "  He's  not  far 
away,  you  see." 

"  Why  doesn't  he  show  himself!  "  asked 
Scott.  "  He  hasn't  done  anything  to  make  him 
want  to  hide,  has  he?  " 

11  Not  yet,"  laughed  the  reporter.  "  Good- 
by,"  he  said;  "I'll  see  you  three  days  from 
now  at  the  Sentinel."  Stopping  a  moment  to 
draw  a  little  more  tightly  the  strap  which  held 
the  bundle  he  was  carrying  on  his  shoulder, 
he  soon  disappeared  from  the  sight  of  the 
boys. 

Steadily  the  five  boys  followed  the  trail  as 
it  led  up  the  ascending  walls  of  green.  Occa 
sional  glimpses  of  Liberty  Cap,  the  bleak  and 
towering  mountain  in  the  distance,  the  shrub 
bery  that  almost  seemed  to  choke  the  canon,  the 
vision  of  fleecy  clouds  overhead,  the  presence 
of  treetops  that  rose  from  below  to  the  level 
of  the  trail,  all  added  to  the  interest  of  the 
climb.  Still  no  one  asked  to  stop  until  the 
party  arrived  at  the  bridge  that  crossed  the 
roaring,  tumbling  Merced  below  them.  Then, 
moved  by  a  common  desire,  the  boys  halted,  and 
a  part  of  the  luncheon  they  had  brought  with 
them  speedily  disappeared. 


264  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

When  their  journey  was  resumed,  the  heat 
of  the  sun  became  more  intense,  the  ground  was 
muddy,  and  the  rocks  and  leaves  were  covered 
with  the  spray  that  was  falling  all  about  them. 
The  view  of  the  fall  from  the  bridge,  glorious 
as  it  was,  did  not  satisfy  the  boys,  and  with  one 
accord,  they  continued  their  climb  until  at  last, 
by  the  aid  of  the  iron  chain  which  had  been 
stretched  alongside  the  narrow  path,  they  ob 
tained  the  sight  for  which  they  had  gladly  come 
so  far. 

Between  seventy  and  eighty  feet  in  width, 
the  stream  plunged  over  the  brink  to  the  rocks, 
three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below.  Standing 
on  the  flat  rock  close  to  the  water,  the  boys  in 
silence  watched  the  tremendous  volume  of  wa 
ter  as  it  dashed  upon  the  stones.  For  a  time  no 
one  spoke,  and  then  John  said,  "  This  is  the 
finest  of  all!  " 

6 1  As  three  hundred  and  fifty  is  to  twenty- 
five  hundred,  so  is  Vernal  Falls  to  the  Yosemite 
Falls, "  said  Scott. 

"  That's  all  true,"  admitted  John,  "  but  here 
there  is  no  such  awful  setting  of  bleak  and 
dreary  precipices.  The  fall  is  the  great 
thing » 

John  stopped  abruptly  as  the  boys  all  turned 


THE  CLIMB  265 

to  look  at  a  man  who  was  approaching  from 
below.  When  he  had  gained  the  place  where 
the  boys  were  standing,  he  said  quietly,  "  I  am 
looking  for  a  young  man  named  Larcum  Brown. 
Is  he  here?  " 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A   MESSENGER 

"  THAT  is  my  name,"  said  Larcum 
promptly. 

"  Please  come  back  here  a  little  way  with 
me/'  suggested  the  stranger.  "  I  wish  to  have 
a  few  words  with  you." 

Larcum  at  once  complied  with  the  request, 
and,  as  he  followed  the  man,  he  was  aware 
that  his  friends  were  watching  him  with  keen 
interest.  Disregarding  their  curiosity,  the 
young  giant  withdrew  with  the  stranger,  and 
a  half -hour  had  elapsed  before  he  rejoined  his 
friends,  who  were  waiting  for  him  on  the 
bridge. 

"  What's  wrong,  Larc?  '  demanded  Lee 
eagerly,  when  Larcum  returned. 

11  Nothing  unusual,"  replied  Larcum. 

"  What  did  that  man  want?  " 

11  He  wanted  to  see  me." 

"  Who  is  he?  " 

"  A  railroad  man  from  San  Francisco." 

"  Wanted   to    consult   you    about    the   best 

266 


A  MESSENGER  267 

method  of  running  a  railroad,  didn't  he!  " 
laughed  John,  who  was  shrewdly  observing  his 
friend. 

"If  he  did,  he  didn't  ask  me  about  Cle- 
archus  and  his  parasangs,  anyway,"  retorted 
Larcum.  "  He  wasn't  interested  in  ancient 
history;  he's  up  to  date,  and  that  is  some  com 
fort." 

"  What  did  he  come  up  here  for?  You 
haven't  told  us,"  said  Lee. 

"  Yes,  I  did;  he  came  to  see  me." 

"What  for?  " 

"  To  consult  with  me." 

"What  for?  " 

"  About  something  important.  I'd  tell  you 
all  about  it,  fellows,  only  this  man  didn't  want 
me  to — just  yet." 

"  Must  have  been  something  mighty  big  to 
make  him  follow  us  clear  up  here  to  these 
falls." 

"  How  do  you  know  he  '  followed  '  us?  "  de 
manded  Larcum  sharply.  "  We  aren't  the  only 
people  in  the  world  that  have  followed  the  trail 
to  Nevada  Falls." 

"  Well,  all  I  can  say  is  that,  if  he  came  up 
here  to  see  the  falls,  he  was  easily  satisfied. 
He  didn't  tarry  long." 


268  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  What  are  we  to  do  next?  " 

"  Go  on  with  our  plan." 

"  Doesn't  this  important  personage  want  you 
to  go  back  with  him  ?  ' 

"  No.  I  gave  him  all  the  information  I 
thought  it  was  wise  for  him  to  have.  If  he 
needs  more  later,  why,  that's  another  story,  as 
Kipling  says.  Come  on,  fellows!  We'll  go  on 
to  Nevada  Falls." 

Following  the  trail,  the  boys  once  more 
crossed  the  river,  stopping,  however,  for  a  brief 
rest  upon  the  rude  little  bridge  that  spanned  it. 
Here  they  could  see  the  Diamond  Cascade  above 
them,  while  below  was  the  misty  veil  which  was 
known  as  the  Silver  Apron.  Soon  afterward 
the  first  view  of  the  Nevada  Falls  was  obtained. 
The  sloping  descent  was  about  six  hundred 
feet. 

"  How  far  is  it  to  the  top?  "  asked  Scott. 
"  Does  any  one  know!  " 

"  It's  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from 
here,"  answered  Dana. 

"  Good  trail?  " 

"  Yes,  though  it's  pretty  steep  and  zigzags  a 
good  deal." 

"  We'll  try  it,"  said  John  promptly. 

In  response  the  boys  all  started  up  the  steep 


A  MESSENGER  269 

way,  and,  when  at  last  they  gained  the  top, 
every  one,  except  Larcum,  was  nearly  breath 
less  from  the  climb.  The  view,  however,  repaid 
every  one,  and,  in  the  impressive  scene,  all  were 
silent  as  they  watched  the  roaring  flood.  Lar 
cum  tossed  broken  branches  into  the  swift  cur 
rent,  and,  timing  the  distance  they  covered  in 
three  seconds,  tried  to  obtain  an  estimate  of 
the  rapidity  with  which  the  foaming  waters 
slipped  down  the  steep  fall. 

Here,  amidst  the  green  trees,  moist  from  the 
spray  of  the  fall,  and  dark  with  shade,  the  boys 
prepared  the  luncheon  they  had  brought  with 
them.  Wearied  by  the  climb,  every  one  was 
ready  when  Scott  shouted,  "  First  call  for 
luncheon, ' '  and  for  a  time  all  were  silent  while 
the  viands  rapidly  disappeared. 

"  This  pays  for  it  all,"  murmured  John,  as 
he  gazed  at  the  fall  and  then  turned  to  look 
at  the  steep,  barren  sides  of  the  Sierras, 
which  shut  in  the  wonderful  valley.  "  This 
is  certainly  the  grandest  sight  I  ever 
saw." 

' '  We  can 't  have  any  better  time  than  we  had 
in  the  Yellowstone, ' ' 1  suggested  Lee.  ' l  I 
think  that  was  the  greatest  of  all." 

JSee  "Four  Boys  in  the  Yellowstone." 


270  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

' '  You  ought  to  think  England 1  gave  you  the 
best  time,"  said  Scott;  "  that's  where  you  got 
your  fortune,  you  know." 

"  England  is  all  right,"  growled  Larcum — 
<  '  or,  it  would  be,  if  they  would  only  speak  the 
English  language." 

"  How's  that,  Lard  "  inquired  John. 

"  That's  how  it  is,  and  that's  all  I  know.  I 
was  near  a  station  one  day  in  London,  where 
I  wanted  to  take  a  train — maybe  it  was  the  day 
I  started  for  Eugby,  I'm  not  sure — and  I  asked 
a  man  where  I  would  find  what  I  was  looking 
for.  Now,  what  do  you  think  the  fellow  told 
me  to  dot  " 

11  They  were  all  mighty  courteous,  I 
thought,"  said  Lee. 

"  I'm  not  talking  about  courtesy.  I'm  talk 
ing  about  the  use  of  the  mother  tongue.  The 
man  told  me  to  '  go  down  to  the  bottom  and 
then  go  up  to  the  top  and  I'd  find  my  train/ 
I  hadn't  any  more  idea  what  he  meant 
than  I  would  have  had  if  he'd  told  me  I'd 
find  it  somewhere  in  the  underside  of  the 
Andes." 

"  What  did  you  do,  Larc?  "  laughed  John. 
"  I  shouldn't  have  had  the  remotest  concep- 

Four  Boys  and  a  Fortune." 


A  MESSENGER  271 

tion  of  what  lie  meant  for  nie  to  do.  "What  did 
he  mean?  " 

"  He  meant  for  me  to  go  down  to  the  end  of 
the  block  and  then  up  to  the  end  of  the  street 
on  the  other  side  of  the  station,  and  I'd  find  my 
train  made  up  there.'7 

"  Why  didn't  he  say  so,  then!  "  said  Scott. 

"  He  did— in  his  way,"  said  John.  "  It  all 
depends  on  the  use  and  the  meaning  of  words. 
Now,  I  heard  an  Englishman  say,  not  long  ago, 
that  some  American  told  him  that  stock  joke  of 
ours  about  peaches — that  we  i  eat  all  we  can, 
and  can  what  we  can't.'  " 

"He  didn't  see  anything  funny  in  it,  did 
he?  "  said  Scott. 

"  No.  How  could  he?  In  England  they 
don't  speak  of  '  canning  '  fruits — they  '  tin  ' 
them.  Of  course " 

"  What  a  way — to  call  canning  tinning," 
said  Scott  scornfully. 

"  It's  just  custom,  that's  all.  Their  customs 
are  strange  to  us,  and  ours  are  strange  to 
them." 

"  Never  mind  our  trip  to  England;  that's 
ancient  history,  you  know,  and  I'm  not  fond 
of  that.  What  I  want  you  to  see  is  this  present 
wonderful  sight.  The  valley  is  just  like  a  great 


272  FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  JO  SEMITE 

hole  cut  right  in  the  solid  rock  of  the  Sierras. 
Are  you  all  taking  in  that  fact?  " 

"  We  are,"  responded  Scott. 

"  Are  you  aware  that  the  valley  looks  as  if 
the  only  way  to  get  in  was  to  fall  in,  and,  if 
once  a  man  got  in,  there  was  no  way  for  him 
to  get  out?  " 

"  Yea,  verily;  we  are." 

"  Then,  if  that  is  duly  impressed  on  your 
youthful  and  impressionable,  not  to  say  plastic, 
mental  apparatus,  I  move  that  we  start  for  the 
Sentinel  Hotel.  Are  you  ready?  " 

Bested  from  the  climb  of  the  morning  and 
refreshed  by  the  luncheon  which  they  had 
brought,  the  boys  declared  themselves  to  be 
ready  for  the  return,  and  at  once  started  on 
the  downward  trail. 

Purposely,  as  Larcum  believed,  Scott  fell 
back  beside  his  huge  friend,  and  when  the  two 
were  sufficiently  far  in  the  rear  of  their  com 
panions  to  prevent  their  words  from  being 
overheard,  he  said,  ' '  Larc,  did  that  man  come 
up  here  because  of  your  telegram?  " 

"  I  suspect  that  he  did." 

"  Did  he  have  anything  to  say?  " 

"  He  did.  He  cast  sundry  and  divers  as 
persions  on  my  lettergram  to  him.  He  even 


A  MESSENGER  273 

accused  me  of  inciting  him  to  wild-goose  chases, 
and  implied  that  I  was  a  dealer  in  white  ele 
phants,  held  stock  in  yellow  journals,  and 
couldn't  see  a  knothole  in  the  side  of  a  barn 
door." 

"  Be  serious  a  minute,  Larc.    I  was  to '! 

"  I  never  was  more  serious  in  all  my  born 
days, ' '  interrupted  Larcum.  ' '  I  was  even  con 
templating  dropping  the  ribald,  railroad  ranter 
into  the  roaring,  rushing,  riotous  Nevada  Fall, 
a  la  the  mode  by  which  I  cured  Boston  Jack  of 
his  quaint  and  curious  citations  from  the 
critical  comments  of  the  great " 

"  Hold  on,  Larc,"  broke  in  Scott,  "  have  you 
any  plan?  " 

"  I  have,"  replied  Larcum  promptly. 

"What  is  it?  " 

"  A  certain  secret  and  shrewd  hunt  for  the 
villains. ' ' 

tl  That's  all  right,  but  what  is  to  be  done!  " 

"  To-morrow  I  depart  with  the  railroad  mag 
nate." 

"  Where?  " 

"  For  the  trail  up  Cloud >s  Best." 

"  Only  you  two  going?  " 

"  That's  it  I'll  have  to  depend  upon  you, 
Scott,  to  help  keep  the  other  fellows  quiet.  Just 


274  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

now  we  don't  want  them  to  know  anything 
about  our  plan.  Honestly,  Scott,  the  detective 
— for  this  man  is  a  detective  the  railroad  peo 
ple  have  sent  up  here,  for  they're  following 
every  possible  clew  they  can  get — doesn't  be 
lieve  there  is  anything  in  this  matter  at  all. 
Still,  he  wants  to  be  sure ;  so  he 's  come  up  here, 
and  when  I  told  him  that  our  friend,  the  re 
porter,  had  started  for  a  three  days'  trip  up 
Cloud 's  Eest,  why,  he  wanted  me  to  follow.  We 
leave  the  Sentinel  at  six  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning,  taking  a  giiide  and  horses  with  us  as 
far  as  they'll  be  of  any  help." 

"  Then  you'll  be  two  against  two  if  you 
should  find  the  men." 

"  Precisely." 

"  They're  desperate  fellows,  Larc.  Don't 
you  think  I'd  better  go  along!  " 

"  For  what!  " 

"  To  help  you  in  case  you  need  help." 

Eepressing  the  word  that  rose  to  his  lips, 
Larcum  said  soberly:  "  No,  Scott;  you'll  help 
most  by  keeping  the  boys  quiet.  Don't  let  them 
even  suspect  there  is  anything  going  on." 

"  How'll  I  do  it!  " 

"  I  don't  know.  Suppose  you  say  to-night 
you  want  to  try  a  carriage  to-morrow.  You've 


A  MESSENGER  275 

tramped  and  ridden  horseback,  and  now  you 
want  to  try  driving.  I  believe  every  fellow  will 
be  so  sore  and  tired  to-night  that  he'll  fall  in 
with  your  suggestion,  and  won't  suspect  me  if 
I  say  I'm  going  to  try  something  different." 

"  I'll  do  my  best,"  agreed  Scott,  as  he  and 
Larcum  hastened  to  overtake  their  friends,  who 
now  were  far  in  advance  of  them. 

In  the  evening,  after  a  bath  and  a  dinner,  to 
which  every  one  of  the  young  travelers  did  am 
ple  justice,  Scott's  suggestion  for  a  drive  on 
the  following  day  was  eagerly  hailed  by  John 
and  Lee,  neither  of  whom  was  willing  to  admit 
that  the  tramp  to  Nevada  and  Vernal  Falls 
had  been  too  strenuous  for  them.  As  Larcum 
did  not  express  any  preference,  his  own  proj 
ect  was  not  touched  upon. 

A  half-hour  after  the  boys  had  taken  their 
accustomed  seats  on  the  piazza,  they  were 
joined  by  a  venerable  old  gentleman,  who,  as 
he  took  the  chair  which  Lee  at  once  secured  for 
him,  explained  that  his  home  was  in  the  Yo- 
semite  Valley  and  that  he  had  dwelt  there  many 
years. 

"  You  might  not  believe  it,  young  gentle 
men,"  their  guest  continued,  "  but  I  came  out 
here  for  my  health." 


276  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  You  look  as  if  it  agreed  with  you  here, 
sir,"  suggested  Lee. 

"  Yes,  you  might  be  led  to  believe  that.  I 
am  now  eighty-four  years  of  age.  If  nothing 
unforeseen  occurs,  there  is  a  good  prospect  that 
I  may  live  to  be  an  old  man." 

"  Where  did  you  come  from!  " 

"  I  was  born  and  lived  in  New  Hampshire 
until  I  came  out  here.  I  was  a  *  lunger  ' 

"  A  what?  "  inquired  John. 

"  A  *  lunger,'  "  said  the  old  gentleman, 
laughing  as  he  spoke.  "  That's  the  term  ap 
plied  to  any  one  who  comes  West  because  of 
some  affection  of  his  lungs.  I  was  just  skin 
and  bones  when  I  came,  and  now  I  weigh  two 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  pounds.  If  this  lit 
tle  boy  would  stay  here,"  he  added  quietly,  as 
he  placed  a  hand  on  Larcum's  knee,  "  he  might 
get  to  be  considerable  of  a  man — in  time." 

"  Better  stay,  Larc,"  laughed  Scott,  as  he 
turned  to  his  friend. 

"  You  must  have  had  some  great  experiences 
here,"  said  John. 

"  I  have." 

"  Ever  seen  any  grizzlies?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Mountain  lions!  " 


A  MES8ENQER  277 


''Plenty  of  them.  Tlfy  iff  <|nilr 
still." 

"Do  you  mean  tlmt.  we  mi-hf  ?-un 
mount,  'lin  lion  in  tlio  vnllcy  n»>v,  1 

hastily, 

"  Yes,  sir.     You  in.My   find   Ofi€  ""   .v»ur   w.'iy 
to  Wawon.M,  if  \(.H  are  going  over  to  see 
Big  Tree 


CHAPTEB  XXHI 

THE  YOSEMITE   CHIEFTAIN 

"  How  was  tlie  Yosemite  found?  Who  dis 
covered  it!  "  asked  John. 

"  It  came  naturally  after  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California.  Such  a  place  as  this  could 
not  long  be  hidden." 

"  When  was  the  gold  discovered?  " 

"  January  nineteenth,  eighteen  hundred  and 
forty-eight." 

"  Who  discovered  it!  " 

"  James  W.  Marshall." 

"  My!  He  must  have  become  a  rich  man!  " 
suggested  Lee. 

"  No.    On  the  contrary,  he  died  poor." 

"  Where  did  he  find  the  gold?  " 

"  At  Sutter's  sawmill — over  at  Caloma.  It 
was  before  the  days  of  the  telegraph,  but  it 
seemed  almost  as  if  by  magic  the  world  heard 
of  the  find.  Trains  of  prairie-schooners  began 
to  cross  the  plains,  and,  as  for  the  bay  at  San 
Francisco,  why,  I  myself  have  seen  the  waters 

278 


THE  YOSEMITE  CHIEFTAIN       279 

almost  covered  by  the  ships  that  were  bring 
ing  in  men  who  were  well-nigh  crazy  with  the 
gold  fever.  The  bite  of  the  '  gold  bug  '  is  really 
more  serious  than  the  bite  of  a  rattlesnake. 

' '  Well,  as  the  men  spread  out  in  their  search 
for  the  gold,  the  prospectors  and  others  natu 
rally  came  more  and  more  in  contact  with  the 
Indians  of  the  country.  Sometimes  the  rela 
tions  would  be  pleasant,  and  then  again  there 
would  be  trouble. " 

"  Honestly,  who  was  to  blame  for  the  trou 
bles — the  white  man  or  the  Indian!  "  asked 
John. 

"  It  was  not  entirely  confined  to  one  side, 
but  I  have  no  question  that  most  of  it  was  due 
to  the  whites.  In  the  official  reports  away  back 
in  1850  I  read :  '  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that, 
among  our  white  population,  there  are  men 
who  boast  of  the  number  of  the  Indians  they 
have  killed  and  that  not  one  of  them  shall 
escape.7  " 

"  You  can't  blame  the  Indians,"  said  John 
warmly.  ' '  They  were  here  first ;  they  had  their 
homes  here,  and  naturally  they  didn't  want  to 
give  them  up  to  the  white  men — especially  when 
they  were  of  the  kind  that  naturally  follows  the 
miners. ' ' 


280  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

li  True  enough,  but  perhaps  not  all  of  the 
truth.  At  any  rate,  the  Indians  began  to  com 
bine  and  prepare  to  resist— 

"  How  did  they  do  that?  " 

"  They  had  a  system  of  telegraphing  by 
means  of  fires  and  smoke,  but  they  mostly  re 
lied  upon  their  runners  or  messengers,  who 
went  from  one  Indian  village  to  another.  The 
Yosemites  made  the  first  open  attack;  or, 
rather,  they  led  in  the  attack  which  was  made 
upon  a  trading-post  about  twenty-five  miles  be 
low  the  valley  on  the  Merced  Eiver.  The 
miners  drove  the  redskins  away,  but  that  only 
seemed  to  increase  the  bitterness,  and  the  first 
attack  proved  to  be  only  one  among  a  good 
many.  There  was  so  much  suspicion  now  on 
each  side  that  the  troubles  began  to  increase, 
and  they  soon  came  thick  and  fast  and  there 
were  a  good  many  savage  and  brutal  things 
done.  If  the  Indians  gained  an  advantage  and 
took  the  blankets,  flour,  and  everything  of  value 
from  some  trading-post,  as  sometimes  they  did, 
that  only  served  to  make  the  whites  more  angry 
and  the  redmen  more  eager.  Of  course  there 
could  be  only  one  end  to  troubles  of  that  kind, 
and  that  was  that  the  whites  should  win.  They 
did,  too.  Soldiers  were  sent  here,  the  local 


THE  YOSEMITE  CHIEFTAIN      281 

bodies  of  men  organized,  and  before  long  it 
was  just  a  question  which  party  should  drive 
the  other  out  of  this  country.  As  I  said,  there 
could  be  only  one  answer. 

"  Matters  finally  reached  such  a  state  that 
a  special  plan  of  extermination  was  planned 
and  carefully  set  in  motion.  Some  of  the 
Christian  Indians,  descendants  of  those  that 
had  been  won  by  the  early  Spanish  mission 
aries  away  back  before  1770 — you  know,  the 
leader  of  these  missionaries  was  Junipero 
Serra,  the  one  who  discovered  and  named  the 
bay  of  San  Francisco, — these  Christian  In 
dians,  as  I  was  saying,  were  doing  all  in  their 
power  to  stop  the  fighting,  but  they  could  not 
accomplish  very  much.  The  tribes  were  con 
vinced  now  that  they  must  exterminate  the 
white  men  or  be  themselves  exterminated,  and 
the  palefaces  were  just  as  certain  that  there 
would  never  be  safety,  much  less  peace,  until 
the  Indians  had  been  driven  away  from  this 
country.  In  a  time  like  that  men  don't  stop 
to  think  of  right;  they  think  a  good  deal  more 
of  what  they  are  pleased  to  call  their  rights. 
So  the  war  went  on.  Still  the  -Christian  In 
dians  were  sent  as  messengers  of  peace  to  all 
the  Indian  villages,  but  the  redmen  did  not  be- 


282  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

lieve  their  enemies  would  stop  short  of  destroy 
ing  every  tribe,  so  the  peaceful  messengers  did 
not  accomplish  much. 

"  Next,  the  white  men  sent  some  different 
messengers  to  the  Indian  villages.  This  time 
the  runners  told  of  the  power  of  the  whites — 
what  they  had  done  and  could  and  would  do  if 
the  tribes  held  out,  and  also  what  the  palefaces 
would  promise  in  the  way  of  gifts  and  protec 
tion  if  the  fighting  was  stopped. " 

"  Have  you  any  idea  how  many  Indians 
were  in  California  at  that  time!  ' '  inquired 
John. 

"  Major  Savage  estimated  that  there  were 
all  of  ninety  thousand.  Well,  one  of  these  run 
ners  reported  to  Major  Savage — he  was  in 
command  of  the  new  troops — that  the  Indians 
in  a  deep,  rocky  valley  on  the  Merced  did  not 
want  peace,  and  that  they  never  would  send 
any  of  their  warriors  for  a  peace  conference. 
These  were  the  Yosemite  tribe,  and  the  runners 
told  how  confident  they  were  that  their  ene 
mies  never  would  be  able  to  get  into  the  val 
ley,  and  that  the  tribe  never  could  be  driven 
out  of  the  region.  If  any  white  men  should  try 
to  enter  the  valley,  all  that  the  Yosemites 
would  have  to  do  to  protect  themselves  would 


THE  YOSEMITE  CHIEFTAIN       283 

be  to  stand  on  some  of  the  cliffs  and  roll  or 
drop  great  rocks  on  the  heads  of  their  enemies. " 

"  Good  plan,"  said  Scott.  "  If  some  one 
should  drop  a  stone  from  the  top  of  El  Capitan, 
it  would  create  considerable  commotion  on  the 
party  below. " 

"  That  was  what  they  believed.  Well,  the 
major  was  so  eager  himself  to  avoid  a  fight, 
and  had  received  so  many  good  words  from 
some  of  the  various  tribes,  that  he  didn't  want 
to  give  up  the  Yosemites,  who  were  still  hold 
ing  out  against  any  form  of  peace.  So  he  sent 
a  special  messenger  to  the  old  chief  of  the  Yo 
semites — as  fine  a  character  as  ever  was  found 
in  Greece  or  Eome,  though  he  didn't  happen  to 
find  a  classical  author  to  write  up  his  ability, 
eloquence,  or  patriotism.  His  name  was 
Tenieya — at  least  that's  the  way  it  has  come 
down  to  me.  I  understand  that  some  of  the 
more  up-to-date  people  call  his  name  Tenaya. 
At  all  events,  the  lake,  the  canon,  and  the 
peak, — you  can  get  to  them  up  the  Eagle  Peak 
trail, — only  about  eighteen  miles  from  here,  are 
all  named  for  the  old  hero,  for  that's  what  he 
was,  no  matter  what  anybody  says  to  the 
contrary. ' ' 

"  Parkman  says  that  the  oratory  of  the  Mo- 


284  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

hawk  chiefs  was  as  fine  as  that  of  Cicero  or 
Demosthenes/'  suggested  John. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it.  Well,  Tenieya,  or 
Tenaya,  whichever  you  want  to  call  him, — I 
have  noticed  that  some  people  think  they  must 
change  the  old  ways  or  they  cannot  be  up  to 
date;  for  example,  people  now  say  Yosemites, 
whereas  the  original  word  was  Yo  Semites, — 
finally  agreed  to  come  to  the  peace  conference, 
for  at  heart  he  was  as  eager  as  any  one  to  put 
an  end  to  the  fighting.  The  officers,  and  men, 
too,  for  the  matter  of  that,  received  the  old 
chief  in  a  manner  befitting  his  dignity,  but 
Tenieya  was  still  suspicious  that  they  were  set 
ting  a  trap  of  some  kind  for  him. 

"  After  some  parleying,  the  major  told  the 
old  sachern  that,  if  he  would  go  and  make  a 
treaty  of  peace  with  the  commissioners,  just 
as  the  other  tribes  were  doing,  there  would  not 
be  any  more  war. 

"  Tenieya  then  said:  l  Let  us  remain  in  the 
mountains  where  we  were  born;  where  the 
ashes  of  our  fathers  have  been  given  to  the 
winds.  We  do  not  want  anything  from  the 
white  men.' 

"  '  If  you  and  your  people  have  all  you  de 
sire/  said  the  major,  <  why  do  you  steal  our 


THE  YOSEMITE  CHIEFTAIN      285 

horses  and  mules  ?  Why  do  you  rob  the  miners ' 
camps?  ' 

i  i  Old  Tenieya  was  silent  a  moment,  and  then 
replied :  '  My  young  men  have  sometimes  taken 
horses  and  mules  from  the  whites.  It  was 
wrong  for  them  to  do  so.  It  is  not  wrong  to 
take  the  property  of  enemies  who  have  wronged 
my  people.  My  young  men  believed  the  gold- 
diggers  to  be  their  enemies.  If  they  are  not, 
we  shall  be  glad  to  live  at  peace  with  them. 
"We  will  stay  here  and  be  friends/ 

"  '  Your  people  must  go  to  the  commission 
ers  and  make  peace  with  them/  said  the  major 
firmly. 

"  Old  Tenieya  then  said:  '  It  is  useless  to 
talk  to  you  about  the  stealing  of  your  horses 
or  the  burning  of  your  property.  If  the  Chow- 
chillas  do  not  boast  of  it,  they  are  cowards,  for 
they  led  us  on.  I  am  old,  and  you  can  kill  me 
if  you  will,  but  of  what  use  will  that  be  to  you 
who  know  more  than  all  the  Indians,  and  can 
beat  them  in  their  big  hunts  of  deer  and  bear! 
Therefore,  I  will  not  lie  to  you,  but  promise 
that,  if  I  am  permitted  to  return  to  my  people, 
I  will  bring  them  in.'  The  major  told  him  to 
go.  The  next  day  Tenieya  came  back  and  re 
ported  that  his  people  were  willing  to  come 


286  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

and  make  a  treaty  if  they  could  come  with 
safety.  Another  day  passed  and  still  the  In 
dians  did  not  come  from  the  deep  valley.  The 
old  chief  explained  that  the  snows  were  too 
deep  to  permit  travel  by  the  women  and  chil 
dren.  The  white  men  growled,  and  kept  close 
watch  of  the  sachem,  but  still  allowed  him  to 
come  and  go  freely. 

"  At  last,  when  several  days  had  passed  and 
there  were  no  signs  of  the  coming  of  the  Yo- 
semites,  it  was  decided  to  send  an  expedition 
into  the  deep,  dark  valley.  The  major  made  a 
footrace  the  test  of  the  selection  of  the  men 
to  go — the  slowest  to  stay  behind  and  guard 
the  camp.  When  at  last  the  selected  men 
started  for  the  valley  they  soon  found  that 
Tenieya  had  told  them  the  truth  about  the 
snow.  It  was  so  deep  that  in  places  the  only 
way  the  men  could  get  through  was  by  having 
some  one  on  horseback  go  ahead  and  break  or 
make  a  way  and  then  another  follow  him  and 
then  another,  until  in  this  way  a  fairly  passable 
path  had  been  made. 

1 1  About  halfway  the  soldiers  met  a  party  of 
seventy-two  Yosemites  floundering  through  the 
snow  and  loaded  down  with  their  children  and 
property " 


THE  YOSEMITE  CHIEFTAIN      287 

"  On  their  way  to  the  commissioners?  " 
asked  Scott. 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  that  showed  that  old  Tenieya  was 
honest,  anyway." 

"  Yes,  but  pretty  soon  some  one  asked  him 
where  were  all  the  other  members  of  the  tribe. 
Only  about  seventy-two  were  there,  you  see. 
He  explained  that  some  were  sick,  others  had 
gone  to  the  tribes  from  which  they  had  secured 
their  wives,  but  that  all  would  come  later.  This 
explanation  did  not  satisfy  the  soldiers,  and, 
after  they  had  selected  a  young  brave  as  guide 
in  place  of  the  old  chief,  they  resumed  their 
journey  to  the  valley.  Those  of  the  Mariposa 
Battalion,  as  it  was  called,  were  the  first  white 
men  to  enter  the  Yosemite  Valley." 

"  When  was  it?  "  inquired  John. 

"  May  fifth  or  sixth,  1851.  The  day  after 
the  battalion  came  into  the  home  of  the 
'  grizzlies  ' — for  the  word  Yosemite  means  a 
full-grown  grizzly  bear — the  soldiers  began 
their  investigation.  Up  near  El  Capitan  they 
discovered  a  smoldering  fire,  and  this  they  con 
cluded  at  once  was  a  signal  of  some  kind.  They 
found  a  village  or  camp  of  rude  huts  there,  and 
the  immense  quantity  of  acorns  they  saw  stored 


288  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

in  the  place  made  the  soldiers  believe  that  some 
besides  sick  Indians  were  not  far  away. 

"  As  not  many  Indians  were  seen,  however, 
the  soldiers  returned  to  camp,  and  not  long 
afterward  a  second  and  larger  expedition  was 
sent  into  the  valley.  The  plan  now  was  to  sur 
prise  the  Yosemites,  capture  as  many  of  the 
women  and  children  as  possible,  and  so  bring 
the  warriors  to  terms.  The  surprise  was 
pretty  effectually  carried  out,  but,  though  the 
men  found  new  huts  and  many  signs  that  the 
Indians  were  near,  for  a  time  they  were  not 
able  to  discover  any  of  the  warriors.  At  last 
the  men  saw  living  forms  moving  about  among 
the  high  cliffs  and  rocks,  and  a  detail  managed 
to  capture  several.  Among  the  prisoners  were 
two  or  three  sons  of  the  old  sachem.  You 
passed  the  place  where  they  were  taken  on  your 
way  in. 

"  At  the  suggestion  of  one  of  Tenieya's  sons 
he  and  his  brother-in-law  were  sent  to  bring 
the  old  chief  into  the  camp  of  the  soldiers,  the 
other  sons  to  be  retained  as  hostages.  By  the 
way,  the  place  where  these  three  sons  of 
Tenieya  were  captured  was  near  those  three 
peaks  that  are  so  much  alike  down  the  valley." 

"  The  Three  Brothers?  "  asked  Lee. 


THE  YOSEMITE  CHIEFTAIN       289 

"  That's  the  spot.  They  were  named  for 
these  three  sons  of  the  old  Yosemite  chieftain. 
Well,  after  the  messengers  left  the  camp,  the 
youngest  son  of  Tenieya  tried  to  escape,  but 
was  shot  and  killed.  Meanwhile,  the  soldiers 
were  searching  for  more  of  the  Indians,  and, 
before  they  knew  it,  they  were  lured  into  a 
trap.  They  followed  some  running  Indians  un 
til  they  came  into  a  gully,  or  canon,  and  the 
first  thing  they  knew  there  was  a  shower  of 
rocks  raining  upon  them.  Some  of  the  white 
men  were  killed  before  the  party  made  its  es 
cape.  Of  course  this  added  fuel  to  the  flame, 
and,  by  the  time  the  old  chief  came  with  the 
messengers,  they  were  all  almost  ready  to  ex 
terminate  the  tribe.  No,  I  haven't  given  you 
all.  One  report  has  it  that  the  chief  was  taken 
prisoner  and  brought  to  camp  and  did  not  re 
turn  with  the  messengers  that  had  been  sent  for 
him.  When  he  came,  the  first  sight  that  greeted 
his  eyes  was  the  dead  body  of  his  own  boy.  He 
steadily  refused  to  tell  where  his  people  were 
hidden,  and  then  suddenly  he  rushed  from  his 
keeper  and  ran  for  the  bank  of  the  river.  Be 
fore  he  could  plunge  in  he  was  taken  again, 
and  when  he  was  brought  back  he  faced  the 
leader,  and  in  his  most  dignified  manner  said: 


290  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  JO  SEMITE 

"  '  Kill  me,  sir,  captain!  Yes,  kill  me  as 
you  killed  my  son ;  as  you  would  kill  my  people 
if  they  were  to  come  to  you.  You  have  made 
me  sorrowful;  my  life  you  have  made  dark. 
You  have  killed  the  child  of  my  heart :  why  not 
kill  the  father  also  ?  You  may  kill  me,  sir,  cap 
tain  ;  but  you  shall  not  live  in  peace.  I  will  still 
follow  your  footsteps.  I  will  not  leave  my 
home,  but  will  be  with  the  spirits  among  the 
waterfalls,  among  the  rocks,  in  the  river,  in  the 
winds.  Wherever  you  go  I  shall  be  with  you. 
You  will  not  see  me,  but  you  will  fear  the  spirit 
of  the  old  chief  and  will  grow  cold.  The  great 
spirits  have  spoken.  I  have  done.' 

"  You  see,  the  Indians  believed  that  the 
presence  of  a  spirit  was  manifest  in  a  cool 
breeze.  That  was  what  old  Tenieya  meant 
when  he  declared  they  would  be  startled  by  his 
unseen  presence  and  '  grow  cold.'  " 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


"  DID  they  kill  the  old  chief?  "  inquired 
John. 

"No;  they  gave  him  a  good  supper,  for  they 
were  all  deeply  impressed  by  the  fearlessness 
of  Tenieya.  But  they  kept  up  their  search  for 
his  tribe  for  several  days,  though  not  another 
Indian  could  they  find.  Then  they  decided  to 
make  an  expedition  to  the  high  Sierras,  for 
they  believed  a  good  many  of  the  redmen  had 
gone  to  the  hiding-places  there.  They  made  the 
old  chief  go  with  them. 

"  When  the  soldiers  had  gone  about  twenty 
miles,  and  were  far  up  above  the  Yo Semite  Val 
ley,  they  saw  some  smoke  rising  not  far  ahead 
of  them,  so  they  concluded  that  they  must  be 
near  some  Indian  village.  The  soldiers  ad 
vanced  cautiously,  quietly  secured  the  outlying 
pickets,  and  then  made  a  rush  upon  the  camp. 
They  come  so  swiftly  that  not  a  soul  escaped. 

"  Although  it  was  certain  that  not  all  of  the 


292  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Yosemites  were  there,  it  was  decided  to  depart 
with  those  that  had  been  taken,  leaving  the  oth 
ers  for  a  later  pursuit.  The  Indian  women 
and  children  were  allowed  to  march  freely,  but 
the  squaws  soon  insisted  upon  taking  upon  their 
own  shoulders  the  burdens  that  had  been  as 
signed  to  the  warriors.  When  the  white  men 
protested  against  such  an  unnatural  custom — 
at  least  it  seemed  so  to  them — the  squaws  them 
selves  rebelled  so  strongly  that  at  last  the  sol 
diers  left  them  to  their  own  customs  and  ways, 
and  in  that  manner  they  all  marched  back  to 
Fresno. 

"  The  war  was  supposed  to  be  ended  now, 
and,  after  several  months  had  passed,  Tenieya 
begged  so  hard  to  return  with  his  tribe  to  his 
home  in  the  valley  that  permission  at  last  was 
granted.  Soon  after  the  Yosemites  came  back 
here,  complaints  began  to  rise  that  the  whites 
were  having  their  horses  and  cattle  stolen  by 
the  Indians.  It  did  not  make  any  difference 
when  it  was  learned  that  many  of  the  losses 
were  due  to  the  work  of  thieving  Mexicans — 
they  cried  out  against  the  Indians  just  the  same. 
Finally  the  clamor  became  so  loud  after  five 
prospectors  had  crept  into  the  Yosemite  Valley 
looking  for  gold  and  lost  their  lives  there " 


TO  CLOUD'S  REST  293 

"  Did  the  Indians  kill  the  prospectors?  " 
asked  Scott. 

"  That  was  the  report,  though  personally  I 
have  my  doubts.  At  all  events,  the  feeling 
against  the  Yosemites  became  so  great  that  at 
last  a  government  expedition  was  sent  against 
the  tribe.  Some  friends  of  the  dead  miners 
acted  as  guides,  along  with  some  of  the  men 
who  had  been  in  the  valley  before.  They  sur 
prised  and  captured  a  few  of  the  Indians,  al 
though  Tenieya  and  the  rest  of  the  tribe  man 
aged  to  elude  their  first  attempts  to  get  them. 
When  the  dead  bodies  of  the  five  miners  were 
found,  of  course  the  white  soldiers  were  more 
angry  than  ever,  and  they  instantly  shot  the 
few  Yosemites  whom  they  had  captured." 

"What!"  exclaimed  John.  "Shot  their 
prisoners?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  was  done.  Of  course  it 
was  unjust  and  cruel,  but  the  men  were  angry 
at  the  death  of  the  miners,  and  at  such  times 
did  not  stop  to  think  of  mercy  or  even  of  jus 
tice.  They  kept  up  a  search  for  the  Indians, 
but  the  Yosemites  had  every  advantage,  for 
they  were  familiar  with  every  hiding-place  in 
the  valley.  Still  the  search  was  so  keen  that 
the  Yosemites  finally  fled  for  shelter  to  their 


294  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

friends,  the  Monos,  another  tribe  of  Indians 
whose  home  was  among  the  Sierras.  They 
were  so  successfully  hidden  by  their  allies  that 
for  a  long  time  they  were  safe. 

"  After  the  pursuit  apparently  had  been 
abandoned,  the  report  is  that  the  Yosemites, 
when  they  saw  how  successful  their  friends,  the 
Monos,  were  in  stealing  horses  from  the  whites, 
began  to  try  the  same  schemes  for  them 
selves.  So  matters  went  on  until  the  Yosemites 
gradually  made  their  way  back  to  their  old 
homes  in  the  valley.  The  report  spread  that, 
having  been  so  successful  in  stealing  horses 
from  the  whites,  they  next  began  to  steal  from 
the  Monos,  and  then  the  troubles  began  again. 

"  The  Monos  were  as  bitter  as  the  white 
men.  The  Yosemites  were  more  confident  now, 
and,  instead  of  hiding  in  the  canons,  they  had 
camps  in  the  valley — the  largest  being  at  the 
entrance  to  Indian  Canon.  Then  one  day  the 
stealthy  Monos  pounced  upon  them,  and  there 
was  a  fight  to  the  finish.  Tenieya  was  the  one 
warrior  whom  the  Monos  were  most  desirous 
of  securing,  but  the  shrewd  old  sachem  for  a 
time  was  more  than  a  match  for  his  foes.  One 
of  the  younger  chiefs  of  the  Monos  at  last  drove 
Tenieya  to  bay.  He  discharged  arrow  after 


TO  CLOUD'S  REST  295 

arrow  at  the  fearless  old  sachem,  but  was  un 
able  to  hit  him.  At  last  after  all  his  arrows 
had  been  used,  the  young  chief  threw  a  stone, 
which  hit  Tenieya  in  the  head  and  felled  him 
to  the  ground.  Instantly  all  the  other  '  braves  ' 
were  braver  now,  and  with  one  accord  they 
rushed  upon  their  fallen  foe,  every  one  throw 
ing  a  stone  upon  the  helpless  man,  until  at  last 
he  literally  was  stoned  to  death.  A  few  of  the 
Yo semite  braves  escaped,  but  all  the  rest  were 
killed — that  is,  all  but  the  old  warriors  and 
the  women  and  children." 

"  What  became  of  the  few  braves  that  es 
caped?  "  inquired  Scott. 

"  Their  spirits  were  broken,  their  tribe  was 
annihilated,  they  had  no  home,  they  dared  not 
seek  a  refuge  among  the  Monos,  so  they  all — 
there  were  only  eight,  it  is  said — made  their 
way  to  Hunt's  store  at  Fresno  and  became 
guides.  Soon  after  this  time  many  people  be 
gan  to  go  to  the  Yosemite,  and  trusty  guides 
were  in  demand." 

"  They  are  all  dead  now,  aren't  they?  ' 

"  Yes.  These  few  Diggers  you  occasionally 
see  here  are  supposed  to  be  their  descendants." 

"  The  white  men  must  have  felt  mighty 
proud  of  themselves  after  they  had  driven  the 


296  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Yo Semites  out  of  their  home  and  had  destroyed 
almost  the  whole  tribe!  "  said  Lee  warmly. 
"  It  was  a  low-down  trick!  " 

"  They  didn't  all  feel  the  same.  There  was 
Major  Savage,  for  example;  he  was  in  com 
mand  for  a  time,  as  I  told  you.  He  was  so 
enraged  over  the  way  the  miners  and  the 
whites  had  acted  toward  the  Yosemites  that  lie 
boldly  and  openly  made  a  protest  to  the  gov 
ernment.  Of  course  his  protest  made  more 
trouble,  and  finally  a  fellow  named  Harvey — 
a  desperado — became  so  fighting  mad  at  the 
major  that  he  attacked  him." 

"What  happened  to  the  major?  "  asked 
Scott. 

"  He  was  killed." 

"That's  the  way  of  itl'"  declared  Scott. 
"  You  let  a  man  stand  up  for  such  a  people  as 
the  Indians  and  see  what  happens  to  him! 
And  yet  we  are  sending  protests  to  Kussia  to 
day  against  her  treatment  of  the  Jews!  " 

"  What  was  done  to  the  man  that  killed  the 
major?  " 

"  I  never  heard." 

11  I  can  tell  you!  "  spoke  up  Scott. 

"What  was  it?"  said  John. 

"  Oh,  he  was  treated  as  a  hero.    The  papers 


TO  CLOUD'S  REST  297 

were  full  of  stories  of  what  a  brave  man  he 
was.  Very  likely  they  claimed  that  he  was 
compelled  to  shoot  the  major  in  self-defense. 
That's  the  way  it  usually  is." 

"  I  think  not  quite  so  bad  as  that,"  said  the 
old  gentleman  quietly.  "  You  must  not  forget 
the  times  when  these  things  were  done.  There 
was  a  wild  and  somewhat  reckless  class  of  men 
that  had  been  drawn  here  by  the  gold  fever. 
Then,  too,  the  Indians,  though  they  were  with 
out  doubt  treated  harshly,  were  not  without 
their  faults " 

"  Their  chief  fault  was  that  they  happened 
to  have  something — land  or  something  like  that 
— which  the  white  men  wanted — and  took!  " 
exclaimed  John.  "  What  a  shame  our  whole 
treatment  of  the  original  Americans  has  been. 
I  feel  as  Scott  does — we  ought  to  pull  out  our 
own  beams  before  we  pluck  out  the  motes  from 
the  eyes  of  any  other  nation  on  earth !  ' ' 

"  This  has  all  been  interesting,"  remarked 
Larcum,  who  had  been  silent  throughout  the 
telling  of  the  story  of  the  death  of  Tenieya. 
"  I  think  it's  about  time  we  decided  on  our 
plans  for  to-morrow." 

"  I  guess  Jack  would  like  a  rest,"  suggested 
Scott,  mindful  of  his  previous  conversation 


298  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

with  Larcum.  "  In  fact,  I  would  not  mind  one 
myself. ' ' 

"  I  don't  want  a  rest,"  asserted  John 
promptly.  "  You  fellows  seem  to  think  I 
ought  to  be  rolled  up  in  cotton  batting  and  laid 
away  in  the  dark." 

"  What  is  a  good  trip  to-morrow;  one  that 
is  not  too  hard  and  yet  will  help  us  to  see  more 
of  this  wonderful  valley?  "  inquired  Scott  of 
the  old  gentleman  who  had  been  entertaining 
them. 

"  That's  hard  to  tell;  there  are  so  many. 
Perhaps  a  ride  to  Mirror  Lake  would  interest 
you  and  not  be  too  hard.  There's  one  thing  you 
must  not  forget — the  Yosemite  is  a  hard  place 
to  see,  though  what  you  do  see  pays  for  all 
it  costs  in  labor  or  time." 

"  How  far  is  this  Mirror  Lake  from  the  Sen 
tinel  Hotel?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  About  three  miles." 

"  Can  we  drive  all  the  way?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  What  do  we  see  when  we  get  there?  " 

"  That  depends  upon  the  time  you  start." 

"How  is  that?  " 

"  At  this  time  of  the  year,  if  you  reach  the 
lake  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  you'll 


TO  CLOUD'S  REST  299 

see  a  marvelous  reflection  of  the  North  and 
South  Domes.  You'll  see  a  reflection  of  Mount 
Watkins,  too.  The  surface  of  the  lake  in  the 
early  morning  is  usually  without  a  ripple,  and 
the  picture  of  the  great  peaks  in  it  is  some 
thing  you'll  never  forget.  If  you  are  there 
about  eight,  you'll  see  the  sun  rise  over  the 
Half  Dome,  and  you'll  see  it  all  right  in  the 
waters  of  the  lake.  That's  the  way  it  got  its 
name.  Sometimes,  when  there  is  a  full  moon, 
you  can  get  a  wonderful  sight  at  night,  too." 

"  That  suits  me — everything  except  getting 
up  so  early,"  laughed  Lee. 

"  You  can  stand  that — once  in  your  life," 
said  Scott.  "  You  won't  be  coming  this  way 
again  very  soon,  and  you  ought  to  make  the 
most  of  your  chance  now." 

"  We'll  be  back  here  by  noon,"  suggested 
John.  "  We  ought  to  be  thinking  of  what 
we'll  do  then — or  will  you  leave  that  till  the 
time  comes?  " 

"  You  might  take  a  drive  about  the  valley 
itself  in  the  afternoon,"  said  the  old  gentle 
man.  "  That  will  fully  repay  you." 

"  That's  what  we'll  do,  then,"  said  John, 
"  What  do  you  say,  Larc!  "  he  added,  turning 
to  his  huge  friend  as  he  spoke. 


300  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  I  say  it's  fine;  though  I  don't  believe  I'll 
join  you,"  replied  Larcum. 

"  Why  not!  What  are  you  going  to  do?  " 
inquired  John. 

"  Larc's  too  tired,"  laughed  Lee.  "  If  you 
carry  a  mountain  of  flesh  up  a  mountain  of 
granite,  what  will  you  have  when  you  come 
down?  ' 

"  It's  a  great  waste  of  energy  for  a  man 
to  have  too  much  to  carry  around  with  him," 
said  Scott  soberly.  "  Now  look  at  Lee.  He 
doesn't  really  cast  a  shadow,  he's  so  thin.  No 
wonder  he's  ready  for  something  more  to-mor 
row.  You'd  better  let  Larc  sleep  late  and 
leave  him  alone." 

"  Yes,"  joined  in  Larcum  drowsily.  "  Don't 
call  me  in  the  morning.  You  all  just  start  off 
early  to  see  the  sun  rise  in  Mirror  Lake.  I'll 
take  your  word  for  it  all  when  you  come 
back." 

11  Poor  little  Larkie,"  laughed  Scott,  as  he 
arose  and  patted  his  huge  friend  on  the  shoul 
ders.  "  No  wonder  his  fond  mother  is  fear 
ful  her  little  boy  works  too  hard  for  the  T.  G. 
&  P." 

Early  the  following  morning,  a  full  hour 
before  the  other  boys  were  out  of  bed,  Larcum 


TO  CLOUD'S  REST  301 

had  breakfasted  and,  mounted  upon  a  hardy 
pony,  was  riding  along  the  trail  that  led  to  the 
summit  of  Cloud 's  Best.  Beside  him,  mounted 
upon  another  horse,  was  the  man  who  had  come 
from  San  Francisco  the  preceding  day.  Be 
hind  the  saddle  of  the  man  a  bundle  was 
strapped,  and  in  the  bundle  was  a  coil  of  rope, 
which  had  puzzled  Lareurn,  though  he  had 
asked  no  questions  concerning  his  companion's 
purpose. 

In  silence  the  two  riders  proceeded  on  their 
way,  and  soon  were  on  the  steeper  trail  which 
led  to  the  peak  they  were  seeking.  As  they 
drew  nearer  the  lofty  summit,  Larcum  saw  that 
the  massive  walls  of  the  Yosemite  were  in  plain 
view.  Beyond  were  the  towering  heights  of 
the  high  Sierras.  Across  Tenaya  Canon  (the 
present  form  of  spelling  the  name  of  the  heroic 
old  chieftain  of  the  Yosemite  tribe)  rose  the 
summit  of  Mount  Watkins,  eighty-three  hun 
dred  feet  in  height.  The  tips  of  Mount  Hoff 
man,  Tenaya 's  Peak  (with  the  glistening  wa 
ters  of  the  lake  of  the  same  name  far  below), 
of  Lyell,  Clark,  Starr  King,  Dana,  and  other 
mountains  came  forth  into  view.  Yet,  impres 
sive  as  the  wild  scenery  was,  Larcum  was  think 
ing  far  more  of  the  purpose  of  the  early  morn- 


302  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

ing  ride  than  lie  was  of  the  grandeur  of  the 
lofty  mountains  all  about  him. 

Suddenly  Larcum 's  companion  halted,  and, 
in  a  low  voice,  said:  "  There's  a  horse  just 
ahead  of  us.  It's  loose,  too.  What  does  it 
mean?  " 

Larcum  did  not  reply,  and  in  a  moment  the 
horse,  which  his  companion  had  seen,  ap 
proached.  A  saddle  and  bridle  were  still  on 
the  animal,  though  the  latter  was  broken. 

"  Look  here!  This  is  strange!  "  Larcum 's 
companion  suddenly  leaped  to  the  ground  as  he 
spoke,  and,  leaving  his  horse,  at  once  drew  near 
the  border  of  a  canon  beside  the  trail.  Stoop 
ing,  he  picked  up  a  coat  from  the  ground,  and, 
turning  to  Larcum,  he  inquired, i '  Do  you  know 
whose  this  is?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Larcum  slowly,  after  he  had 
inspected  the  garment.  "  It's  the  coat  that  re 
porter  wore  yesterday." 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE   DISCOVERY  IN   THE   CANON" 

"  You  hold  both  horses.  I'll  be  back  in  a 
minute,"  said  Larcum's  companion,  as  he 
hastily  tossed  his  bridle  to  the  young  giant 
and  again  turned  toward  the  border  of  the 
trail. 

Larcum  grasped  both  bridles  and  watched 
the  man  as  he  threw  himself  on  the  ground 
and  peered  over  the  edge  into  the  depths  of 
the  canon  below  him.  The  horse,  which  had 
been  found  riderless  on  the  way,  approached 
Larcum  and  was  greeted  by  a  low  whinny  of 
recognition  from  the  animals  he  was  holding. 
Plainly  the  three  were  from  the  same  stable 
and  recognized  one  another  in  the  meeting  on 
the  mountainside.  Larcum,  however,  was  too 
deeply  interested  in  what  his  companion  was 
doing  to  give  much  attention  to  the  horses.  He 
saw  the  man  lying  prone  on  the  ground,  still 
peering  into  the  depths  below  him. 

Several   minutes    elapsed   before    the   man 

303 


304  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

arose,  and  then  lie  turned  back  to  Larcum  and 
said  gently:  "  I  wish  you  would  go  up  there 
where  I  was  and  look  down  into  the  canon.  See 
what  you  can  make  of  the  sight  right  near  the 
crag  below  the  oak.  I  don't  mean  the  main 
canon;  just  the  little  spur  that  is  right  below 
you.  There's  something  interesting  there 
which  I  should  like  to  have  you  see.  Perhaps 
your  eyes  are  keener  than  mine." 

Without  a  word  Larcum  quickly  sought  the 
place  indicated  by  his  companion.  Throwing 
himself  on  the  ground,  he  peered  over  the  bor 
der  at  the  depths  below  him.  At  first  the  im 
pression  of  the  awfulness  of  the  depths  almost 
appalled  him.  Bleak  rocks,  bare  stretches  of 
granite  in  the  precipices,  the  little  stream  far 
down  in  the  valley  that  looked  no  larger  than 
a  tiny  brook,  were  below  him.  The  very  silence 
that  rested  over  the  region  was  like  a  pall. 
The  scene  was  grand,  but  for  a  time  Larcum 
was  unable  to  discover  anything  which  might 
have  aroused  the  manifest  interest  of  the  man 
who  had  gazed  so  long  into  the  depths.  Ke- 
calling  the  specific  directions  which  had  been 
given  him,  he  looked  away  from  the  main 
canon  to  the  part,  or  spur,  which  was  more 
directly  beneath  him.  He  saw  the  jutting  crag, 


THE  AWFULNESS   OF   THE   DEPTHS   ALMOST   APPALLED    HIM. — Page  304. 


THE  DISCOVERT  IN  THE  CANON  305 

the  overhanging  oak,  but  for  a  time  was  un 
able  to  see  anything  more.  Suddenly  Larcum 
uttered  a  low  exclamation.  What  was  that 
right  by  the  loose  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the 
crag!  Surely  it  could  not  be  the  body  of  a 
man!  And  yet,  as  Larcum  gazed  intently  at 
the  object,  he  became  more  and  more  convinced 
that  he  was  looking  at  the  body  of  some  one 
who  had  fallen  to  the  depths  below.  A  feeling 
of  horror  crept  over  him  as  he  made  out  the 
outlines.  The  legs  were  in  plain  sight,  an  out 
stretched  arm  extended  over  the  edge  of  the 
rock,  though  the  head  could  not  be  seen.  Was 
this  the  reporter?  Larcum  looked  still  more 
earnestly  at  the  motionless  body.  There  was 
no  evidence  of  life  to  be  seen,  and  a  hasty  re 
flection  convinced  the  excited  young  giant  that 
no  one  could  have  fallen  to  those  depths  and 
still  be  living.  The  crag  must  be  at  least  two 
hundred  feet  below  the  place  where  he  was 
lying. 

"  What  do  you  find!  " 

Larcum  looked  up  as  he  heard  the  question 
and  found  his  companion  standing  beside  him. 
"  Some  one  has  fallen,"  he  said,  trembling  as 
he  spoke. 

"  You  can  see  the  body,  can  you?  " 


306  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Yes,  it's  straight  down  there,  right  by  the 
rock  as  you  said." 

"  Can  you  make  out  the  head?  " 

"  No.  I  can  see  only  the  body,  the  legs,  and 
one  arm." 

"  Can  you  see  the  hand  of  that  arm!  " 

"  No,"  replied  Larcum,  as  he  looked  again 
at  the  body  far  below. 

11  And  you  say  you  can't  make  out  the 
head?  " 

"  No." 

"Why  is  that?" 

"You  don't  mean — you  don't  suppose — 
you "  began  Larcum. 

"  I  don't  imply  anything,"  broke  in  the 
man  sharply.  "  All  I  want  to  know  is 
just  what  you  can  see.  How  wide  do  you 
think  that  shelf  is,  the  one  where  the  body 
is  resting?  " 

"  I  can't  estimate  it  very  well.  Comparing 
it  with  the  body  there,  I  should  say  it  must  be 
six  or  eight  feet." 

"  You  are  sure  the  arm  is  over  the  edge  of 
the  rock?  " 

"  Yes.    I  can  see  that  very  plainly." 

"  Yet  you  can't  see  the  hand?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Larcum,  after  he  had  taken 


THE  DISCOVERY  IN  THE  CANON  307 

another  long  look.  "  I  can't  see  the  hand. 
Why?  " 

Ignoring  the  question,  the  man  continued, 
"  Is  the  body  lying  on  its  face  or  on  its  back?  " 

"  I  should  say  on  its  face.  I  can't  just  make 
it  out,  though." 

"  Can  you  tell  the  color  of  the  clothes?  ' 

"  There  isn't  any  coat,"  said  Larcum  slowly, 
glancing  at  the  coat  which  had  been  found  on 
the  trail  as  he  spoke.  "  The  trousers  seem 
to  be  of  the  same  color  as  this  coat,"  he  added, 
in  a  voice  still  lower. 

"  And  so  you  conclude?  ' 

"  That  they  belonged  to  the  same  person. 
The  man  left  his  coat  here  and  then  slipped 
or  fell  into  the  canon." 

"How?  " 

"  That  I  can't  say." 

"  Do  you  find  any  marks  of  a  struggle?  " 

"  No;  but  I  should  not  expect  to  find  any. 
If  a  man  slipped  or  toppled  over  here,  he'd  go 
straight  to  the  rocks  below." 

"  Is  that  rock  directly  beneath  us  or  does 
it  jut  out  for  a  few  feet?  How  do  you  measure 
that  with  your  eye?  " 

"  It  juts  out  a  few  feet." 

"  That  is  my  opinion.    Just  one  thing  more. 


308  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

Do  you  suppose,  if  you  were  to  fall  over  here, 
you  would  strike  in  about  the  place  where  this 
body  lies?  " 

"  Perhaps  not  exactly,  but  it's  almost  in  line 
with  us." 

11  Suppose  you  did  fall  over  and  struck  the 
rock  there,  what  would  happen  to  you?  " 

"  Just  what  has  happened  to  this  poor  chap." 

"  Do  you  think  so?    Suppose  we  try  it?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  said  Larcum  quickly, 
glancing  sharply  at  his  companion  as  he  spoke. 

There  was  a  faint  trace  of  a  smile  on  the 
stranger's  face,  but,  without  speaking,  he 
picked  up  a  stone  the  size  of  his  hand  and 
dropped  it  to  the  cliff.  The  stone  struck  the 
rocky  projection  true  to  its  aim,  and  bounded 
far  over  the  border  and  fell  into  the  depths  of 
the  greater  canon. 

66  We'll  try  it  once  more,"  said  the  man. 
Again  he  dropped  a  stone,  somewhat  larger 
than  the  one  he  had  just  used,  and  this  one  also 
bounded  from  the  cliff  as  its  predecessor  had 
done.  "  Let  me  try  it  with  this,"  once  more 
said  the  stranger,  as  he  lifted  in  his  arms  the 
fallen  branch  of  a  tree.  The  small  log  was 
borne  to  the  border  of  the  trail,  and  a  moment 
later  was  pushed  over.  Falling,  the  branch 


THE  DISCOVERY  IN  THE  CANON  309 

struck  the  cliff,  and,  like  the  rocks  that  had 
preceded  it,  it  plunged  over  the  edge  and  fell 
noiselessly  into  the  far  depths  of  the  canon. 

1  *  What  is  all  that  for ?  ' '  asked  Larcum,  puz 
zled  to  understand  what  the  actions  of  his 
companion  meant.  "  I  don't  see  what  you're 
trying  to  do." 

"  Not  one  of  those  stones  or  that  log  lodged 
there  on  the  cliff,  did  it?  ' 

"  No.    What  of  it?  " 

"  Do  you  really  think  that  if  a  man  should 
fall  here  and  should  strike  the  crags  below  that 
he  would  lodge  there!  Don't  you  believe 
that  his  body  would  bound  or  roll  over  the 
edge!  " 

"  I  hadn't  thought  of  that." 

"Well,  I  have." 

"  Don't  you  really  think  that  is  the  body  of 
some  man  that  fell  into  the  canon!  "  asked 
Larcum  soberly. 

"I'm  not  saying  it  isn't." 

"  How  could  it  be  anything  else!  A  man's 
body  might  be  caught  there  and  held.  It's 
different  from  a  falling  rock  or  a  piece  of 
wood." 

"Yes;  it's  different." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  now?  " 


310  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Did  the  reporter  say  anything  about  his 
expecting  any  one  to  come?  " 

"  Not  a  word,  though  his  friend  came  up 
here,  too." 

"  So  you  said." 

"  What  has  become  of  him?  " 

"  If  the  reporter  fell  over  the  cliff,  what  do 
you  think  his  friend  would  be  likely  to  do?  " 

"  Go  back  to  the  hotel  for  help." 

"  Precisely." 

"  And,  because  we  haven't  seen  him,  you 
think  he  didn't  go?  " 

"  That  fact  is  not  to  be  ignored." 

11  But  there  may  be  other  trails,"  suggested 
Larcum.  "  He  might  have  gone  down  some 
one  that  we  haven't  seen." 

"  That's  possible." 

"  Then  I  don't  see  what  you're  driving  at." 

"  How  long  was  it  that  the  reporter  said 
he  might  be  gone?  " 

"  Three  days." 

' '  I  want  you  to  take  your  horse  and  the  one 
we  found  here  loose  on  the  trail  and  go  back 
to  the  hotel." 

11  When?  " 

"  After  luncheon.    We'll  have  that  now." 

"  Aren't  you  going  back?  " 


THE  DISCOVERY  IN  THE  CANON  311 

"  Not  now." 

"  When  will  you  come?  " 

"  It  all  depends.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
no  one  at  the  Sentinel  knows  that  we  came  up 
here  this  morning. " 

"  Except  the  hostler,"  suggested  Larcum. 

61  I  hardly  think  he  does,  but  the  fact  that 
you  are  bringing  two  horses  back  will  satisfy 
him." 

"  He  may  recognize  this  other  horse  as  the 
one  he  let  the  reporter  have  yesterday.  What 
can  I  tell  him  if  he  should  ask  me  about  that?  " 

"  Don't  '  tell  '  him  anything.  Just  let  him 
have  the  horse.  I  shall  trust  you  not  to  say 
that  I  am  still  up  here  on  the  trail  to  Cloud's 
Kest.  Besides,  I  may  be  back  very  soon,  any 
way." 

"  I'll  do  my  best,"  said  Larcum,  still  mysti 
fied  by  the  directions  he  had  received  and  puz 
zled  still  more  by  the  plan  of  his  companion 
to  remain  alone  on  the  mountain. 

The  luncheon  they  had  brought,  however,  was 
an  added  incentive  to  silence,  and  the  young 
giant  was  soon  so  busily  engaged  in  his  repast 
that  the  absence  of  conversation  was  in  part  at 
least  ignored. 

A  half -hour  afterward  Larcum  mounted  his 


312  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  Y OS E MITE 

horse  and  prepared  for  the  descent  of  the 
mountain.  "  Do  you  want  me  to  stay  near 
the  hotel  until  you  come  back?  "  he  inquired, 
as  he  lifted  the  bridle  rein. 

"  No.  Go  ahead  with  your  plans  just  as  if 
I  wasn't  anywhere  in  the  country." 

Still  mystified  and  a  trifle  angry  that  he 
should  have  been  eliminated  from  the  plan  of 
his  recent  companion,  Larcum  followed  the 
downward  trail.  The  riderless  horse  followed 
closely  and  apparently  did  not  require  any 
attention. 

As  Larcum  rode  on,  the  strange  suspicions 
and  stranger  actions  of  the  man  with  whom  he 
had  set  forth  in  the  early  morning  from  the 
Sentinel  Hotel  became  more  puzzling  to  him  as 
he  thought  them  over.  Was  it  not  truly  the 
body  of  the  reporter  which  had  been  discov 
ered  on  the  cliff?  And  why  did  the  man  desire 
to  remain  alone  on  the  mountain?  What  did 
it  all  mean? 

The  puzzled  young  traveler  had  not  found 
any  solution  when  at  last  he  turned  from  the 
steep  trail  into  the  level  road  of  the  valley.  He 
was  still  busied  with  his  conjectures  when  he 
was  aroused  by  a  hail  from  an  approaching 
carriage.  Glancing  quickly  behind  him  as  he 


THE  DISCOVERY.  IN  THE  CAffON  313 

recognized  the  voice  of  John,  he  saw  his  three 
friends  seated  in  the  surrey,  which  was  only  a 
few  yards  in  his  rear. 

"  "Where  have  you  been,  I/arc?  "  inquired 
John,  as  the  rider  halted  for  his  friends  to 
come  nearer.  ' l  Why  have  you  got  two  horses  ? 
You  didn't  ride  them  both,  did  you?  " 

"  Not  at  the  same  time,"  replied  Larcum 
quietly. 

"  What  did  you  leave  us  behind  for,  Larc?  " 

"  You  were  all  more  tired  than  I  was.  I 
didn't  want  to  take  a  nice  old-ladylike  ride.  I 
wanted  the  real  thing." 

"  You  must  have  had  it,"  laughed  Scott,  "  if 
the  dejected  appearance  of  your  horses  goes 
for  anything." 

"  I  did.  Where  have  you  been?  What  have 
you  been  doing?  ' 

' '  This  morning  we  rode  up  'to  Mirror  Lake 
and  saw  the  sunrise  in  the  lake.  It  was  one 
of  the  finest  sights  I  ever  saw!  "  said  John, 
with  enthusiasm. 

"  It  isn't  so  '  fine,'  as  you  call  it,  as  to  see 
it  rise  in  the  sky.  If  you  would  get  up  early 
enough  some  morning  to  see  that " 

"  That's  all  right,  Larc,"  broke  in  Lee. 
"  You  are  about  like  everybody  else  that  al- 


314  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

ways  insists  that  the  thing  you  didn't  see  was 
the  one  thing  you  ought  never  to  have  missed." 

' '  Larc,  did  you  see  any  wild  animals  on  your 
trip  to-day?  "  asked  Scott. 

"No.    Did  your' 

"  What  kind  of  an  animal  is  it,  Larc,  that 
has  one  horn,  a  greenlike  outer  covering,  is 
dangerous  if  you  get  too  near  it,  can  make  as 
good  time  as  a  racehorse " 

"  I  guess  you  saw  a  cow,"  interrupted  Lar- 
cum. 

"  No.  It  wasn't  a  cow,"  said  Scott  soberly. 
1 '  I  know  what  a  cow  is  like,  for  I  saw  one  once 
when  I  was  in  the  country.  Besides,  a  cow  has 
more  than  one  horn." 

"  Then  it  must  have  been  either  an  automo 
bile  or  a  rhinoceros,"  said  Larcum  dryly,  as 
starting  his  horse  into  a  run,  he  speedily  left 
Ms  companions. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

COACHING  AGAIN 

40 

MINDFUL  of  the  words  which  the  man,  whom 
the  railroad  people  had  sent  into  the  valley  in 
response  to  his  message,  had  spoken,  Larcum 
endeavored  to  banish  from  his  mind  his  inter 
est  in  the  outcome  of  the  search.  As  the  days 
passed  and  not  a  word  of  the  reporter  or  his 
companion  was  heard,  nor  did  the  stranger 
himself  return  to  the  Sentinel  Hotel,  Larcum 's 
feeling  of  interest  somehow,  in  a  measure,  de 
parted.  It  seemed  to  the  young  giant  that  his 
own  suggestions  and  investigations  had  been 
entirely  ignored.  His  word  had  been  deemed  of 
sufficient  importance  to  warrant  the  sending  of 
a  man  to  the  scene.  His  aid  had  been  invoked 
to  the  extent  of  asking  him  to  accompany  the 
man  at  least  a  part  of  the  way  on  the  trail  to 
the  summit  of  Cloud 's  Eest,  and  then  he  had 
been  abruptly  dismissed.  The  recollection  of 
the  sight  of  the  body  of  the  unknown  man  who 
had  fallen  into  the  canon  was  still  vivid  in  Lar- 

315 


316  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

cum's  mind,  though,  after  the  questions  his 
companion  had  asked,  he  was  by  no  means 
positive  that  it  really  was  the  body  of  a  man 
he  had  seen.  But,  if  not  the  corpse  of  some  un 
fortunate  traveler,  what  was  it!  His  perplex 
ity  was  increased  by  the  story  which  the  Cali 
fornia  college  boy  related  of  an  accident  that 
had  occurred  the  preceding  summer,  when  a 
party  of  three  young  men  had  insisted  upon 
going  to  the  projecting  rock  at  Glacier  Point, 
unaccompanied  by  a  guide,  and  one  of  the  trio 
had  slipped  and  fallen,  in  the  ascent,  upon  the 
rocks  far  below.  A  search  of  two  days  had 
been  required  before  the  body  of  the  unfortu 
nate  boy  had  been  found  and  secured,  and  then 
only  after  long  and  severe  exertions  on  the 
part  of  the  band  which  had  volunteered  to  make 
the  search. 

Larcum  was  beginning  to  question  his  own 
long-continued  silence.  Was  he  doing  right 
in  withholding  the  report  of  what  had  occurred 
when  he  and  his  companion  had  make  their 
grewsome  discovery?  Suppose  the  stranger 
was  not  what  he  had  represented  himself  to 
be?  Larcum  had  no  proofs,  and  the  man  had 
not  suggested,  much  less  presented,  any  papers 
of  identification.  Larcum  was  so  sincere  in  his 


COACHING  AGAIN  317 

feelings  that  the  fact  that  the  railroad  company 
would  not  be  likely  to  have  sent  any  papers  to 
him,  a  boy,  did  not  present  itself.  He  was 
troubled,  and  his  manifest  anxiety  was  noted 
by  his  friends.  Not  even  to  Scott,  however,  to 
whom  he  previously  had  explained  some  of  his 
fears  or  misgivings,  did  he  now  talk  of  the  mat 
ter  which  was  uppermost  in  his  own  mind. 

The  time,  however,  was  fully  occupied,  and, 
if  Larcum  did  not  completely  enter  into  the 
spirit  of  travel  in  the  wonderful  valley,  there 
was  no  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  his  three 
companions.  Led  by  a  guide,  the  four  boys 
climbed  Mount  Watkins,  camping  out  for  a 
night  on  its  summit  and  returned  the  follow 
ing  day  to  their  hotel.  Another  expedition, 
to  the  Tuolumne  Canon,  twelve  miles  distant, 
with  its  numerous  waterfalls  in  the  stream 
that  ran  through  the  canon,  almost  parallel  to 
the  course  of  the  boisterous  Merced,  was  doubly 
interesting,  not  only  from  its  own  beauty,  but 
also  from  the  grandeur  of  the  immense  over 
hanging  cliffs. 

A  ride  on  horseback  twenty  miles  below  to 
the  Hetch  Hetchy  Valley,  a  marvelous  counter 
part  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  itself,  though  on 
a  much  smaller  scale,  had  provided  its  own 


318  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TO  SEMITE 

interest  in  its  numerous  waterfalls  and  frown 
ing  cliffs.  The  Tuolumne  meadows,  Mount 
Starr  King,  the  top  of  Sentinel  Dome,  all  were 
visited,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  opposition 
of  La  r cum,  the  ascent  of  Mount  Lyell  would 
have  been  attempted,  as  the  guide  whom 
they  had  daily  employed  was  most  eager  to 
take  his  interesting  party  up  the  difficult 
trail. 

"  It'll  take  four  days,"  suggested  Larcum 
grimly,  when  the  boys  were  discussing  the 
guide's  suggestion  the  evening  after  their  re 
turn  from  the  ascent  of  Mount  Starr  King. 
"  Isn't  that  so,  guide?  " 

"  "We  might  do  it  in  three  and  a  half  days," 
replied  the  guide. 

Larcum  laughed  as  he  said,  "  That  is  better, 
but  we  can't  count  on  that,  I'm  sure." 

"What's  a  little  matter  of  a  half -day  to 
you,  Larc?  "  asked  John. 

"  I'll  have  to  be  getting  back  to  my  office,  or 
the  T.  G.  &  P.  will  be  in  trouble.  You  seem 
to  forget  that  I  am  a  business  man." 

"  That's  why  you  didn't  want  to  go  on  when 
we  were  in  the  Hetch  Hetchy  Valley,"  said 
Scott.  "  I  believe  in  doing  things  right  when 
you  are  on  the  spot." 


COACHING  AGAIN  319 

"  Why  don't  you,  then!  "  retorted  Larcum. 
"  What  more  did  you  want?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  go  to  Till  Till  Valley;  it  was 
only  five  miles  farther.  Then,  there  was  Lake 
Eleanor,  Lake  Vernon,  and  Mount  Kanchesia, 
and  I  don't  know  what  else." 

"  You  might  be  thinking  a  little  of  what 
you  did  see,  as  well  as  what  you  didn't,"  re 
torted  Larcum.  "  That's  always  the  way  with 
some  people!  I  was  reading  the  other  day  a 
funny  thing  from  Punch " 

'  i  You !  ' '  broke  in  Scott  derisively.  i  l  You ! 
Larcum  Brown!  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that 
you,  who  didn't  enjoy  England,1  and  all  the 
while  we  were  there  were  belittling  the  coun 
try,  the  people,  the  ruins,  the  life,  and  almost 
everything  else  you  saw — you — you  really  found 
something  funny  in  Punch?  It  is  more  won 
derful  than  the  view  from  Glacier  Point!  I 
can't  make  it  seem  true " 

"  Keep  still,  Scott,  and  let  Larc  tell  his 
story,"  interrupted  John. 

"  An  Englishman  was  riding  along  a  street 
in  a  little  village " 

"  Where?  When?  What?  Who?  Why?  " 
broke  in  Scott. 

1  See  "  Four  boys  and  a  Fortune." 


320  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  An  Englishman  was  riding  along  a  vil 
lage  street  in  a  motor 

61  In  a  what?  "  again  interrupted  Scott. 

"  If  you  don't  keep  still,  this  story  will  be 
'  continued  in  our  next,'  "  said  Larcum. 

"  Go  on.  I'll  be  good  if  there's  any  fear  of 
that." 

"  As  I  was  saying,  an  Englishman  was  driv 
ing  his  own  car  once  through  the  street  of  a 
little  village.  He  wasn't  keeping  as  good  a 
lookout  as  he  ought,  and  all  at  once,  when  he 
turned  a  sharp  corner,  he  ran  right  into  a 
butcher-boy  who  was  carrying  a  basket  on  his 
arm.  The  basket  was  full  of  chops,  bacon,  liver, 
and  kidneys " 

"  So  was  the  boy,"  suggested  Scott. 

"  Keep  still,  I  tell  you!  "  commanded  Lar 
cum.  "  The  English  motorist  was  going  at  a 
pretty  good  pace,  and,  not  keeping  a  good 
lookout,  when  he  turned  the  corner  he  ran 
straight  into  the  butcher-boy,  striking  him 
squarely  in  the  back." 

"  Did  it  hurt?  " 

"  Of  course  the  boy  was  thrown  to  the 
ground,  and  everything  in  his  basket  was  sent 
in  every  direction.  The  English  motorist  was 
really  a  very  kind-hearted  gentleman,  and, 


COACHING  AGAIN  321 

when  lie  saw  the  damage  he  had  done,  he  in 
stantly  stopped  his  car,  jumped  out,  and  ran  to 
the  help  of  his  victim.  Lifting  the  lad  in  his 
arms,  the  English  gentleman  tenderly  said, 
1  Are  you  hurt,  my  lad?  ' 

"  Well,  was  he?  What  did  the  English  lad 
have  to  say  for  himself?  "  demanded  Scott,  as 
his  friend  remained  silent. 

"  Go  on,  Larc!  Tell  us  all  ahout  it,"  added 
Lee. 

"  What  do  you  stop  there  for?  Is  that  the 
end  of  the  story?  "  added  John. 

"  The  boy  was  dazed,"  said  Larcum,  after 
a  brief  silence.  "  The  story  is  so  pathetic 
that,  whenever  I  tell  it,  I  always  make  it  a  rule 
to  stop  where  I  did  for  a  minute  or  two  to  re 
cover  my  self-possession." 

"  Same  as  some  trains  stop  twenty  minutes 
for  refreshments,"  laughed  Scott. 

"  Well,  the  poor,  dazed,  little,  defenseless 
English  butcher-boy  who,  with  his  basket  of  or 
ders  on  his  arm,  had  been  so  ruthlessly  bumped 
by  the  English  gentleman  that  had  hit  him  in 
the  back  with  his  mo  lor  and  scattered  the  con 
tents  of  his  basket  all  about  the  village  street, 
at  last  was  able  to  comprehend  the  query  of 
his  terrified  and  anxious  questioner.  Kubbing 


322  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO  SEMITE 

his  little  eyes  with  both  his  tiny,  eke  greasy, 
also  grimy,  ditto  dirty,  likewise  chubby  little 
fists,  he  feebly  ejaculated:  i  Where's  my  liver? 
"Where  are  my  kidneys?  '  " 

"  Is  that  a  true  story,  Larc?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  I  saw  it  in  Punch." 

"  Is  it  funny?  " 

"  I  saw  it  in  Punch." 

"  Some  of  the  funniest  people  in  the 
world "  began  Scott. 

"  Tell  us  the  joke,  Larc!  "  pleaded  John. 

"  Had  the  poor  little  English  lad  really 
lost  his  lights  and  his  liver?  "  asked  Lee 
soberly. 

"  That's  the  joke,"  retorted  Larcum.  "  You 
are  just  beginning  to  see  it." 

11  What  has  all  that  to  do  with  me,  Larc?  " 
said  Scott.  "  I  must  say  that  I  am  not  at  this 
moment  conscious  of  the  loss  of  any  of  my 
anatomical  possessions." 

"  No;  but  you  will  be,"  said  Larcum.  "  Just 
as  soon  as  you  get  home  you'll  begin  to  talk 
of  the  things  you  didn't  see.  You'll  forget  all 
about  the  Sentinel  and  the  Three  Brothers  and 
the  Yosemite  Falls  and  the  Bridal  Veil,  and 
you'll  be  saying  every  time  that  we  wouldn't 
let  you  see  Tell  Tale  Valley,  nor " 


COACHING  AGAIN  323 

"  Till  Till  Valley,  Larc,"  suggested  Scott, 
with  a  laugh. 

"It's  all  the  same!  "  declared  Larcum. 

"  What  is  the  plan  for  to-morrow?  "  asked 
John. 

"  I'm  ready  for  anything,"  said  Lee. 

"  IVe  been  thinking  that  it's  about  time  we 
started  for  the  Mariposa  Grove  of  Big  Trees. 
We  don't  want  Scott  to  miss  that,  and  I'm  quite 
willing  to  see  it  myself  before  I  return  to  the 
labors  of  my  official  position  in  the  T.  G. 
&  P." 

"  Have  you  found  out  how  we  are  to  go?  " 
inquired  Scott. 

' '  Yes ;  we  can  take  the  stage  from  here  to 
morrow  after  luncheon  and  go  straight  through 
to  Wawona.  There's  a  fine  hotel  there,  and 
we  can  stay  as  long  as  we  want  to,"  said 
Larcum. 

"  I  thought  you  were  anxious  to  get  back  to 
work,  Larc, ' '  suggested  Lee. 

"  I  did  not  say  I  was  '  anxious.'  I  said  my 
services  might  be  needed;  that's  all." 

"  How  long  a  ride  is  it  to  Wawona?  "  asked 
Scott. 

"  Let  me  see — it's  about  four  miles  to  Bridal 
Veil  Falls,  and  about  four  more  to  Inspiration 


324  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Point,  and  then,  after  we've  climbed  some 
more,  we  go  on  and  on  and  up  and  up,  and  then 
we  go  down  and  down  about  as  many  miles 
more.  It  must  be  a  ride  of  sixteen  or  eighteen 
miles  from  here — half  the  way  up,  and  then 
half  the  way  down  before  we  get  into  Wa- 
wona. ' ' 

"  You  say  we  go  '  up  and  up  ' — how  far 
up?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  We  have  to  climb  to  an  elevation  of  sixty- 
five  hundred  feet." 

"  Do  we  ride  or  walk?  "  asked  John. 

"  I  say,  fellows,  let's  ride  only  part  of  the 
way,"  suggested  Lee.  "  We  can  take  the  coach 
halfway  and  then  walk  all  the  rest  of  the 
way.  It'll  be  going  down  hill  then,  Larc 


That's  a  good  suggestion,  Lee,"  said  Lar- 
We  can  send  our  baggage  all  on  by 
the  coach  to  Wawona,  and  it'll  be  there  when 
we  arrive." 

11  Do  you  want  to  tramp  through  the  woods 
and  over  these  mountains  after  dark!  "  asked 
Scott.  "  You  know  there  are  bears  and  moun 
tain  lions  and— 

"  Squirrels  and  deer,  and  woodpeckers,  too," 
suggested  Lee. 


COACHING  AGAIN  325 

"  All  right;  I'm  not  complaining.  I'll  be 
ready  if  all  the  rest  of  you  are,"  said  Scott 
quickly. 

As  soon  as  luncheon  had  been  served  the  fol 
lowing  day,  the  four  boys  secured  seats  in  the 
coach  for  Wawona.  The  summer  day  was 
warm,  but  the  four  horses,  the  prospect  of  a 
ride  into  a  region  they  had  not  as  yet  seen, 
the  interest  of  their  fellow-passengers — among 
whom  was  their  newly  formed  acquaintance,  the 
California  college  boy — as  well  as  the  prospect 
of  beholding  the  wonderful  giants  among  all 
the  trees  of  the  world,  all  combined  to  increase 
the  interest  of  the  young  travelers. 

A  steady  but  not  swift  gait  was  maintained 
by  the  horses  as  the  road  led  through  the  level 
sandy  stretch  of  the  Yosemite  Valley  itself. 
Back  over  the  way  by  which  they  had  entered, 
the  coach  at  first  moved  until  another  and  final 
view  of  the  Bridal  Veil  Falls,  almost  directly 
above  the  party,  was  had. 

Then,  following  the  rough  road  that  led  up 
the  side  of  the  mountain,  the  four  horses  slowly 
drew  the  heavily-laden  coach.  Up  and  still 
farther  upward  the  toilsome  ascent  was  made, 
until  at  last  the  coach  halted  on  Inspiration 
Point. 


326  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Here  the  most  wonderful  of  all  the  views  of 
the  wonderful  valley  were  to  be  had.  The  bleak 
precipices  that  formed  its  sides,  the  many  wa 
terfalls — some  only  tiny  ribbons  of  water  and 
others  vying  in  grandeur  with  the  tremendous 
Yosemite  Falls  itself  on  the  farther  side  of  the 
little  plain — were  all  within  plain  sight.  Di 
rectly  beneath,  and  far  below  the  very  spot 
where  the  coach  had  halted,  were  crags  and 
majestic  trees,  and  away  down  in  the  depths 
of  the  valley  below  the  silver  Merced  sped 
swiftly  on  its  way. 

For  a  tune  all  the  travelers  were  silent  as 
they  gazed  at  the  awe-inspiring  sight.  Larcum 
was  the  first  of  the  four  boys  to  speak,  as  he 
said,  "  It's  only  eight  or  ten  miles  more.  Let's 
walk." 

His  suggestion  was  at  once  acted  upon,  and, 
as  the  boys  leaped  to  the  ground,  not  one  of 
them  was  aware  that  one  of  the  most  exciting 
experiences  of  their  trip  was  before  them. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

A  MOUNTAIN   LION 

WAITING  for  the  coach  to  precede  them,  so 
as  to  avoid  the  heavy  clouds  of  dust  which  the 
horses  and  the  great  wheels  stirred  up,  the  five 
boys — for  Dana  Watkins,  the  California  col 
lege  boy,  as  has  been  said,  had  joined  them — 
turned  to  follow  the  road  which  led  along  the 
mountainside.  The  air  was  cool  and  invigorat 
ing,  and  back  among  the  trees  frequent  glimpses 
were  had  of  dull-colored  banks  of  snow,  which 
even  the  heat  of  the  summer  sun  had  not  en 
tirely  melted.  Occasional  glimpses  of  the  deep 
valleys  beyond  were  also  had.  The  flight  of  a 
bird  and  the  sound  of  the  wind  in  the  tall  tree- 
tops  were  matters  of  interest  in  the  solitude  of 
the  wonderful  forests. 

"  This  is  great!  "  exclaimed  Lee,  with  en 
thusiasm.  "  I'm  glad  I  came." 

"  You  have  a  good  long  tramp  before  you," 
suggested  Scott.  "  Maybe  you  would  do  bet- 

327 


328  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

ter  if  you  should  wait  until  we're  in  the  hotel 
at  Wawona  before  you  let  your  delight  run 
away  with  you." 

"  Where  is  that  t  good  long  tramp  '?  " 
laughed  Lee.  "  I  fancied  we  were  the  only 
ones  here,  now  that  the  coach  has  gone  on 
.ahead  of  us." 

"  Oh,  quit  that!  "  retorted  Scott. 

<c  But  you  referred  to  a  l  tramp/  "  persisted 
Lee.  "I'll  leave  it  to  the  boys." 

"  Scott  probably  was  thinking  of  the  men 
that  held  up  our  train;  he  didn't  mean  just 
the  regulation  tramp,  you  see,"  suggested 
John. 

"  By  the  way,  has  anything  more  been  heard 
of  those  men!  "  asked  Dana. 

"Better  ask  Larc,"  said  John.  "He  has 
had  that  particular  task  in  hand.  In  fact,  I 
think  he  has  already  invested  two  or  three 
times  over  the  amount  he  was  to  receive  as 
a  reward.  Heard  anything  new,  Larc?  " 
asked  John,  as  he  turned  to  his  big  com 
panion. 

"  You  see  the  papers  as  much  as  I  do," 
growled  Larcum. 

'  *  Yes,  I  know  I  do ;  but  the  newspapers 
haven't  had  a  word  about  these  fellows  for  sev- 


'A  MOUNTAIN  LION  329 

eral  days,  or,  if  they  have,  I  haven 't  seen  any 
thing.  " 

"  Well,  you've  seen  as  much  as  I  have,"  was 
Larcum's  rejoinder. 

"  Look  yonder,  fellows!  "  exclaimed  John, 
pointing  eagerly,  as  he  spoke,  to  a  flower  of 
brilliant  red  that  was  growing  on  a  bank  not 
far  away. 

"  That's  the  snow  flower,"  said  Scott,  as  all 
the  boys  turned  aside  to  examine  the  beautiful 
plant.  "It  is  said  to  be  the  reddest  flower 
that  grows." 

"  It  looks  like  a  big  piece  of  crimson  aspara 
gus,"  said  Dana,  as  the  boys  leaned  low  on  the 
bank. 

"  Why  is  it  called  the '  snow  flower  '!  "  asked 
John. 

"  Because  it  grows  on  a  bank  where  there 
has  been  a  snowdrift,  and  it  comes  up  soon 
after  the  snow  is  melted.  The  flower  is  larger 
and  brighter  in  the  Yosemite  than  anywhere 
else  in  the  world." 

"  Outside  '  the  world  '  I  suppose  you  find  it 
just  as  red  as  it  is  here  in  the  Yosemite,  don't 
you?  "  inquired  John  soberly. 

"I've  never  been  farther  east  than  Denver," 
laughed  Dana. 


330  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Oh,  you  ought  to  see  it  in  Boston!  "  said 
Larcum  mockingly.  "  There  I'm  sure  it  beats 
the  world. " 

"  It  would  if  we  should  plant  it,  I'm  sure, 
too,"  retorted  John. 

"I'm  sure  that  you're  sure,  all  right,"  said 
Larcum.  "  I  think  I'll  pull  up  one  and  ship 
it  to  Chicago  for  a  trial  there." 

"  Don't  you  do  it!  "  exclaimed  Dana  quickly. 

' i  Why  not  1  '  demanded  Larcum,  turning 
quickly  to  Dana. 

"  There's  a  law  against  picking  any  flowers 
in  the  valley." 

"  This  isn't  the  valley;  this  is  the  side  of  a 
mountain!  "  declared  Larcum,  as  he  advanced 
to  pull  the  brilliant  flower  from  the  ground. 

"  Don't  do  it,  Larc!  "  pleaded  John. 

"  Why  not?  "  again  demanded  the  young 
giant. 

"  It's  against  the  law." 

"  l  Law!  '  '  Law!  '  There  can't  be  any  law 
here.  Besides,  no  one  would  see  me  except  you, 
and  you  don't  count." 

"  The  law  is  the  same  whether  any  one  sees 
you  or  not." 

"  All  right;  I'll  be  good,"  assented  Larcum, 
with  a  laugh. 


A  MOUNTAIN  LION  331 

"  Look  at  that  bush  yonder,"  said  John, 
eager  to  change  the  subject  of  conversation. 
"  Its  back  is  a  deep  red,  and  its  branches  are 
all  twisted  and  tangled.  It's  a  mighty  striking 
thing.  What  is  it?  " 

"  Manzanita  bush,"  answered  Dana. 

61  What's  that?  " 

"  The  name  of  the  bush  you're  looking  at. 
You'll  find  lots  of  them  in  the  Yosemite 
[Valley." 

"  I've  seen  lots  of  them  already,"  said  Lar- 
cum.  "  Jack  has  been  so  busy  thinking  how 
many  parasangs  Clearchus  could  march  in  a 
day  over  these  mountains  that  he's  just  got 
around  to  see  this  bush." 

"  It's  a  beauty,  anyway,"  said  John 
quietly. 

"  You're  certainly  correct  in  your  opinion," 
joined  in  Scott,  as  the  boys  resumed  their  ad 
vance.  "I'd  like  to  suggest  humbly  that 
you  should  not  forget  these  great  trees  all 
about  us.  I  never  saw  such  timber  in  my 
life." 

"  Very  likely.  It  doesn't  grow  in  Wall 
Street;  neither  on  Fifth  Avenue,"  said 
Larcum. 

"  It  grows  here." 


332  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  It  certainly  does.  Now,  my  friend, "  Lar- 
cum  added,  turning  to  John, l  i  tell  me  what  good 
your  study  of  Greek  would  do  you  if  you  were 
to  come  in  here  to  buy  a  hundred  acres  of  this 
timber. ' ' 

"  I  wouldn't  buy  it — to  cut  it  down.  I'd  feel 
as  if  I'd  almost  committed  homicide  to  use  an 
ax  on  one  of  these  trees.  I'll  tell  you  what 
I'll  do,  though,  Larc,"  John  added  quickly. 
"  I'll  match  my  Greek  against  your  knowledge 
of  pork,  and  we'll  see  which  of  us  can  tell  the 
most  of  the  different  kinds  of  trees  we  can  see 
from  here." 

11  Done,"  said  Larcum  promptly.  "  We'll 
stop  right  where  we  are  and  try  the  trick. 
What  is  that  great  tree  yonder!  "  he  asked,  as 
he  pointed  to  a  marvelously  symmetrical  tree 
to  his  right. 

"It's  a  pine,"  answered  John. 

"  Correct.  There's  one  for  each  of  us," 
he  added,  speaking  to  Scott.  "  You  keep 
tally." 

"  But  how  is  it '  one  for  each  of  us  '?  "  asked 
John.  "  I  was  the  one  that  told." 

"  But  I  knew,  the  same  as  you  did,"  said 
Larcum. 

"  Did  you!  "  laughed  John.    "  Well,  I'll  go 


A  MOUNTAIN  LION  333 

one  better  then.  What  kind  of  a  pine  is  it, 
Larc?  " 

"  Why  it's  a — it's  just  a  pine  tree,"  replied 
Larcum  lamely. 

"It's  a  sugar  pine,"  continued  John. 
"  In  botany  it's  known  as  the  Pinus  lamber- 
tiana." 

"Is  it?" 

"Yes,  sir;  it  is.  Honestly,  Larc,  did  you 
know  that?  " 

"  I  didn't  know  all  the  Greek  names;  mod 
ern  English  is  good  enough  for  me." 

"  That's  one  for  me  alone — isn't  it, 
fellows?  "  demanded  John  of  his  com 
panions. 

"  It  surely  is!  Yes.  That's  right,  Jack!  " 
they  declared. 

"  Very  good.  One  for  Larc  and  two  for  me. 
Now  it's  my  turn.  Larc,  what's  that  tree  right 
in  line  with  the  sugar  pine — that  big  fellow, 
the  third  tree  back?  " 

"  That's  a  pine,  too." 

"  Sure?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  what  kind  of  a  pine  is  it?  It's  not 
like  the  sugar  pine.  You  look  at  its  cones  and 
you'll  see.  The  sugar  pines  have  cones  that 


334  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

are  twenty  inches  long.  You  can  see  them  there 
on  the  ground." 

"It's  a  pine  tree,  and  that's  enough  for 
me." 

' '  It 's  a  yellow  pine,  Larc.  Its  botanical  name 
is  Pinus  ponderosa." 

"  Go  on !    Pine  is  good  enough  for  me. ' ' 

"  Two  for  Larc,  four  for  me,"  said  John. 
Disregarding  his  friend's  protest,  he  inquired, 
"  Do  you  see  that  beautiful  tree  off  to  the 
left?  " 

"  You  mean  that  fir  tree,  don't  you?  " 

"  Yes;  but  what  kind  of  a  fir  is  it?  " 

"  Bostonensis  swelled  headibus,"  replied 
Larcum  promptly,  as  his  companions  shouted 
in  their  delight. 

"  No;  it's  a  silver  fir,"  said  John  soberly. 
"  Abies  magnified." 

"Same  thing  I  had  in  mind!"  declared 
Larcum  promptly.  "  You  can't  get  ahead  of 
me  that  way.  Tell  me,  Jack,  the  kind  of  a  tree 
that  is — that  big  one  straight  across  the  road 
from  the  fir." 

"It's  a  cedar." 

"  Correct.  Now,  speak  up  like  a  little  man 
and  tell  this  assemblage  of  learned  college  men 
its  name  in  Greek." 


A  MOUNTAIN  LION  335 

"  I  don't  know  what  its  Greek  name  is.  Its 
botanical  name  is  Libocedrus  decurrens.  What 
is  it  in  Greek,  Larc?  " 

"  Clear-cuss  parasangorum.  Didn't  you 
know  that,  Jack?  ' 

^  No;  I  didn't.7' 

"  Four  for  Jack,  three  for  me,  then,"  said 
Larcum  soberly.  "  Yonder  is  a  wonderful  oak 
— just  a  plain,  substantial  English  oak.  Now 
we're  even,  I  take  it." 

"  Hold  on!  '  exclaimed  John.  "  There's 
a  bushy  tree  right  near  the  oak.  What's 
that?  " 

"  Dogwood." 

"  What  kind  of  dogwood?  " 

"  I  don't  know  the  breed,  though  in  some 
ways  it  looks  like  a  poodle." 

"  Cornus  florida." 

"  Indeed!  That's  fine.  Is  that  dog-Latin 
or  hog-Latin  or  Greek?  ' 

"  It's  botanical.  What  kind  of  a  wild  lilac 
is  that  yonder?  " 

"  Yosemite." 

"  Pretty  good  for  you,  Larc.  It's  the  Cali 
fornia  lilac." 

"  What's  its  name  in  pigeon-English?  " 

"  In  Latin  it's  JEsculus  calif  arnica.    There's 


336  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

another  kind  of  dogwood  yonder.  Tell  us  what 
it  is." 

"  That,  sir,"  said  Larcum,  pretending  to 
study  the  bush  critically,  "  is  the  old  Mother 
Hubbard  variety.  It  hasn't  a  bone  anywhere 
in  its  possession." 

"It's  the  Buckeye.  That's  the  ffisculus 
californica,  not  the  California  lilac." 

"  Two  off  for  Jack.  Who  wins?  "  asked 
Larcum,  as  the  boys  resumed  their  journey. 

"  I  don't  know,  and  I  don't  care,"  said  Lee. 
"I'd  rather  have  a  good  breath  of  this  won 
derful  forest  than  the  dog-eared,  leather-bound 
Latin  lexicon  that  Jack  carries  around  in  his 
cranium." 

"  No  doubt  about  that,"  laughed  John, 
"  though  I  don't  think  I  am  any  the  less  im 
pressed  by  these  great  trees  because  I  just  hap 
pen  to  recall  their  names  as  they  are  known  to 
the  learned  people  of  every  land.  I  am  very 
fond  of  trees " 

"  And  chips  if  they  are  dry  enough,"  broke 
in  Larcum.  "  Who'd  want  to  digest  a  piece 
of  boiled  basswood?  And  yet,  when  I  think  of 
the  diet  of  the  Bostonian  elect — codfish  and 
dry  johnny-cake — I  don't  know  but  that  I'd 
prefer " 


A  MOUNTAIN  LION  337 

Larcum  stopped  abruptly,  as  in  a  low  voice 
Lee  called  the  attention  of  his  companions  to 
a  sight  in  the  near-by  forest.  Not  far  off  to  the 
left  of  the  boys  five  deer  were  seen.  The  timid 
animals  were  gazing  at  the  approaching  boys, 
and  it  was  manifest  from  their  attitude  that 
they  were  governed  more  by  curiosity  than 
fear. 

"  I  wish  I  had  a  gun,"  whispered  Lee  excit 
edly. 

"  I'm  glad  you  haven't.  Who'd  want  to 
shoot  one  of  those  little  creatures  1  "  said  John. 
"  They're  so  tame  you  can  see  their  eyes." 

For  a  moment  the  boys  all  stood  still,  watch 
ing  the  graceful  little  creatures  before  them. 
Occasionally  the  buck  stamped  his  feet  impa 
tiently,  as  if  he  was  tempted  to  advance  and 
peer  more  closely  at  the  strangers.  A  little 
fawn  leaped  about  as  if  it  was  excited  and  yet 
was  enjoying  the  experience. 

11  You're  likely  to  see  more  of  them  before 
we're  down  the  mountain,"  suggested  Dana. 
"  I  think  we'd  better  go  ahead,  for  we  don't 
want  to  be  out  here  in  the  dark.  We  might 
run  across  a  bear  or  something  else  that 
wouldn't  be  so  gentle  with  us 

Dana  stopped  abruptly  as  John  clutched  him 


338  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

by  the  arm,  and  in  a  loud  whisper  said,  as  he 
pointed  to  a  long  branch  of  a  tree  near  where 
the  deer  were  standing:  "  Look  up  there! 
What's  that  on  that  branch?  " 

Instantly  all  the  boys  were  looking  at  the 
place  indicated  by  John.  Stretched  at  full 
length  upon  a  branch  of  the  tree,  its  coat  not 
unlike  the  bark  in  its  color,  was  an  animal  that 
to  the  excited  beholders  seemed  to  be  not  less 
than  six  feet  in  length.  The  beast  was  so 
intently  watching  the  deer  beneath  it  that  ap 
parently  it  had  not  noticed  the  approach  of  the 
young  travelers.  Its  great  head  and  long  tail, 
its  fierce  expression  and  manifest  strength, 
were  of  themselves  sufficient  to  inspire  terror. 
Yet  the  deer,  unmindful  of  the  presence  of  their 
enemy,  were  still  standing  gazing  in  their  una 
bated  curiosity  at  the  intruders  in  their 
domain. 

"  What  is  it?  "  again  whispered  John. 

"  A  mountain  lion!  "  replied  Dana,  in  a  low 
voice. 

11  Let's  get  away  from  here,"  said  John, 
glancing  fearfully  about  him. 

' '  No !  No !  Hold  on !  Stay  where  you  are — 
ah!  '  Dana  uttered  an  exclamation  of  anger, 
for  at  that  moment  the  deer  had  turned  and 


A  MOUNTAIN  LION  339 

darted  swiftly  away.  As  they  came  beneath 
the  long  branch,  the  mountain  lion  flung  itself 
upon  the  fawn  and  bore  it  to  the  ground. 

"  Come  back!  Come  back  here!  "  shouted 
Dana  to  Larcum,  who  instantly  had  grasped  a 
broken  branch  of  a  small  tree  in  one  hand,  and 
a  large  rock  in  the  other,  and  now  was  run 
ning  swiftly  toward  the  beast. 


CHAPTER  XXVHI 

THE   EOAD  IN   THE   FOREST 

'  '  GET  a  rock !  Find  a  club !  Everybody  get 
something!  "  called  Dana  excitedly,  in  a  low 
voice.  "  Larc  will  be  torn  into  pieces  if  we 
don't  help  him!  Come  on!  Come!  " 

Acting  immediately  upon  the  suggestion, 
every  boy  armed  himself  with  clubs  and  stones 
and  hastily  followed  Larcum,  who  now  was  ad 
vancing  alone  upon  the  mountain  lion,  which 
had  not  moved  since  first  it  had  struck  the 
fawn.  The  other  deer  had  fled  into  the  depths 
of  the  forest  and  were  no  longer  to  be  seen. 

"  Hold  on,  Larc!  Don't  do  anything!  Wait 
for  us!  "  called  Scott,  who  was  running  in  ad 
vance  of  his  companions.  The  young  giant, 
however,  was  unmindful  of  the  appeal  and  al 
ready  was  near  the  beast  and  its  prey. 

"Spread  out  a  little,  fellows!"  ordered 
Dana,  as  the  boys  drew  nearer.  "  Give  the  lion 
a  chance  to  slink  off  into  the  woods.  We'd 
better  keep  pretty  close  together  and  advance 

340 


THE  EGAD  IN  THE  FOREST      341 

in  a  semicircle.  I  wish  Larc  would  let  the 
beast  go.  It  would  be  better  for  every  one 
of  us  if  he  would. " 

"  Larc  won't  do  it,"  said  Lee.  "  And  I 
don't  blame  him,  either.  I  wish  I  had  a  gun 
here;  I'd  show  that  sneaking  thief  how  day 
light  would  look  inside  his  ribs." 

"  Have  we  any  right  to  attack  it!  "  asked 
John.  "  Don't  the  laws  of  the  valley  prohibit 
any  one  from  attacking ' 

"  Never  mind  the  '  laws  9  now,  Jack!  "  said 
Scott.  "  We've  got  to  look  out  for  Larc.  If 
we  don't,  we'll  have  to  carry  him  on  to  Wa- 
wona  in  ribbons." 

The  boys  had  now  caught  up  with  Larcum, 
and,  to  their  surprise,  he  made  no  objection  to 
the  plan  suggested  by  Dana.  Spreading  out 
in  the  form  of  a  semicircle,  they  all  advanced 
upon  the  snarling  animal,  which  now  had  lifted 
its  head  and,  with  its  ears  flattened  and  with 
such  an  expression  of  incarnate  fury  on  its 
face  as  the  boys  had  never  before  seen,  was 
watching  the  approach  of  its  enemies. 

"  Better  give  it  up,  Larc,  and  leave  the  fel 
low  alone,"  suggested  Dana,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  The  fawn's  neck  is  broken  and  we  can't  do 
anything  to  help  it  now." 


342  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Think  I'll  leave  that  slinking  mountain  lion 
to  eat  up  that  pretty  little  fawn?  Not  on  your 
life!"  retorted  Larcum.  "I'll  tackle  him 
alone  if  the  rest  of  you  want  to  pull  off."  Lar 
cum  had  not  turned  away  his  face  from  the 
savage  beast  while  he  was  speaking,  and,  al 
most  as  if  in  response  to  the  implied  challenge, 
the  mountain  lion  now  was  watching  the  young 
giant  almost  as  if  it  was  aware  which  of  its 
approaching  enemies  was  most  to  be  feared. 

"  No  use,"  said  Dana,  shaking  his  head  as 
he  glanced  at  his  comrades.  "  We'll  have  to  do 
our  best  if  we  are  to  save  Larc  from  the  claws 
of  the  fiend.  Its  claws  must  be  at  least  two 
inches  long." 

"  What  shall  we  do?  "  asked  Lee,  as  the 
boys  halted  about  twenty-five  feet  from  the 
growling,  snarling  beast.  "  It  won't  attack  us, 
will  it!  " 

* '  That  remains  to  be  seen.  Every  fellow  get 
a  rock!  "  he  added,  as  he  glanced  about  him. 
As  every  boy  was  provided  with  at  least  one 
missile,  in  addition  to  the  stout  club  in  his 
hand,  Dana  said :  ' '  When  I  say  three  every 
fellow  let  him  have  it!  Don't  miss!  I  don't 
know  what  the  lion  will  do,  but  follow  up  your 
throw  with  a  yell  that  they  can  hear  back  at  the 


THE  ROAD  IN  THE  FOREST       343 

Sentinel  Hotel.  Shake  your  coats,  wave  your 
handkerchiefs,  and  jump  up  and  down  while 
you're  yelling,  and  act  as  if  you  were  going  to 
rush  on  the  sneaking  thief.  All  ready?  "  he 
inquired,  as  he  glanced  about  him. 

"  All  ready/'  said  Larcum  quietly,  as  he> 
too,  glanced  at  the  line.  John's  face  was  of 
the  color  of  chalk;  Lee  was  fiercely  watching 
the  lion,  which,  although  as  yet  it  had  not  left 
its  victim,  was  slowly  lashing  its  tail  and  emit 
ting  a  frequent  snarl  as  if  it  was  prepared 
either  to  attack  its  enemies  or  defend  itself. 
Scott  was  keenly  excited,  though  his  bearing 
was  quiet,  while  Dana  was  divided  in  his  in 
terest  between  Larcum  and  the  lion. 

"  Now,  then,"  began  Dana.  "  One,  two, 
three!  "  he  shouted. 

Together  the  five  boys  flung  their  missiles 
at  the  startled  beast. 

"Hi  there!"  "Get  away  from  here!" 
"  Back  to  the  woods!  "  called  the  boys,  at  the 
same  time  brandishing  their  clubs,  on  the  ends 
of  which  both  Scott  and  Lee  were  waving  their 
coats. 

A  fierce  scream  of  anger  or  of  pain  came 
from  the  crouching  beast  as  the  missiles  struck 
him.  The  stone  which  Larcum  had  hurled  was 


344  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  Y OS E MITE 

of  the  size  of  his  fist,  and,  as  the  young  giant 
had  exerted  all  his  strength  in  the  throw  and 
the  rock  had  struck  the  beast  in  its  lower  jaw, 
the  result  was  instantly  manifest.  Two  of  the 
other  missiles  had  struck  the  beast — one  on 
its  side  and  the  other  in  one  of  its  fore-legs. 
Snarling,  growling,  whining,  whimpering,  the 
startled  beast  drew  back  a  few  paces,  but  in 
stantly  turned  about  and,  lashing  its  sides  with 
its  tail,  was  facing  the  boys. 

"  Look  out!  Look  out  for  a  spring!  " 
shouted  Dana  warningly,  as  Larcum  dropped 
his  coat  and,  with  his  club  in  his  hands,  stepped 
forward  toward  the  crouching  animal.  "  Look 
out!  Look  out!  "  he  cried  again,  as  the  young 
giant  apparently  gave  no  heed  to  the  warning 
cry. 

"  Come  on,  fellows!  "  called  Scott,  as  he,  too, 
advanced. 

"  Keep  together!  Keep  together!  "  shouted 
Dana.  "Yell!  Make  a  noise!  Scare  the  wits 
out  of  him!  Shake  your  coats !  " 

Keeping  well  together  in  a  line,  the  five  boys 
slowly  moved  forward,  the  lion  still  growling 
savagely  and  watching  their  every  movement. 

"  It's  going  to  jump  for  us!  "  said  John,  in 
a  low  voice. 


THE  EGAD  IN  THE  FOREST      345 

"If  it  does,  let  him  have  your  club/'  sug 
gested  Dana. 

The  mountain  lion  had  withdrawn  about  ten 
feet  from  the  dead  fawn,  but  it  still  manifestly 
was  not  minded  to  lose  its  prey.  Keenly  watch 
ing  the  boys,  it  suddenly  darted  forward. 

"  Look  out!  "  roared  Dana,  as  John  and 
Scott  instantly  dropped  back.  "  If  you  run, 
it'll  get  you,  sure!  " 

Larcum,  Dana,  and  Lee,  however,  after  the 
first  instruction,  drawing  back  as  the  lion 
bounded  forward,  now  shouting  at  the  top  of 
their  power,  were  brandishing  their  clubs 
and  once  more  were  facing  the  infuriated 
animal. 

Suddenly  the  mountain  lion  leaped  upon  the 
body  of  the  fawn,  seized  it  in  its  powerful  grip, 
flung  the  carcass  upon  its  shoulders,  and  then, 
before  the  excited  boys  were  fully  aware  of 
what  was  occurring,  it  turned  and,  with  long 
bounds,  disappeared  within  the  depths  of  the 
forest. 

"Whew!  That  was  a  close  call!"  ejacu 
lated  Dana.  "I'm  glad  it's  gone.  I  don't 
think  I  ever  heard  or  saw  a  more  simon-pure 
fool- thing  in  my  life,"  he  added,  as  he  turned 
to  Larcum. 


346  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

11  You're  young  yet,"  remarked  Larcum 
dryly. 

"  Those  mountain  lions  are  savage  crea 
tures,"  continued  Dana.  "  It  isn't  often 
they'll  attack  a  man  unless  they're  cornered  or 
are  unusually  hungry — but  if  they  do — then 
you  want  to  look  out." 

"  Well,  this  fellow  didn't,  so  I  didn't  have 
to  look  out." 

"  If  you'd  been  alone,  it  would  have  got 
you." 

"  I  guess  it  would  have  had  all  it  wanted 
then,"  laughed  Larcum. 

"  Larc,"  said  John  soberly,  "  you  might 
have  made  a  serious  trouble  for  us  all.  It  was 
bad  enough  to  drop  me  into  the  Merced  when 
I  couldn't  swim  a  stroke,  but  to  have  us  clawed 
up  by  a  mountain  lion  is  worse.  You  had  no 
right  to  do  it." 

"  I  didn't  ask  you  to  lend  a  hand,"  retorted 
Larcum.  "  I  wasn't  going  to  stand  by  and  let 
that  creature  tear  that  poor  little  fawn  into 
pieces  and  not  do  a  thing,  was  I?  " 

"  And  yet,  if  you  had  had  a  gun  and  there 
hadn't  been  any  law  against  using  it,  what 
would  you  yourself  have  done  when  you  saw 
those  fine  deer?  "  asked  John. 


THE  ROAD  IN  TEE  FOREST      347 

"  Probably  I'd  have  drawn  a  bead  on  one 
of  them." 

"  There  isn't  the  slightest  doubt  of  what 
you'd  have  done,  Larc.  Now,  after  all,  what 
did  the  mountain  lion  do  more  than  you  would 
have  done  if  you'd  been  allowed  to  do  just  what 
you  wanted?  ' 

"  All  I  can  say  is  that  the  sly,  treacherous 
old  villain  got  what  he  deserved.  At  least  I 
let  him  have  one  in  the  jaw." 

"  The  beast  was  made  to  catch  or  hunt  deer, 
wasn't  it?  " 

1 1  Oh,  there  you  go  with  your  fine-spun,  hair 
splitting  Boston  theories.  You  draw  every 
thing  too  fine,  Jack.  Even  if  what  you  say  is 
true,  it's  just  as  true,  isn't  it,  that  the  rock  in 
my  hand  was  made  to  smash  the  rascal's  head 
with?  " 

"  Come  on!  We'll  be  meeting  a  whole  regi 
ment  of  mountain  lions  or  bears  if  we  stay 
here  talking  over  nothing  any  longer,"  said 
Scott  impatiently.  "  For  my  part  I'm  sorry 
the  lion  got  the  fawn,  and  I'm  not  a  bit  sorry 
the  beast  will  have  the  toothache  for  a  day  or 
two.  Come  on!  " 

Briskly  the  boys  resumed  their  journey,  al 
though  the  effect  of  their  recent  encounter  was 


348  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

not  entirely  gone.  The  roadway  led  through 
the  midst  of  the  towering  trees — cedars,  firs, 
sugar  pines — lifting  their  lofty  tops  so  high 
that  it  hardly  seemed  possible  that  the  big 
trees,  which  they  soon  were  expecting  to  see, 
conld  be  any  larger  than  the  giants  among  which 
the  boys  were  now  passing.  When  such  com 
ments  were  made,  Dana  smiled  and  simply 
said,  "  Wait." 

"  I'd  like  to  take  one  of  these  great  cones 
home  with  me,"  said  John,  pointing,  as  he 
spoke,  to  the  huge  cones,  some  of  them  twenty 
inches  in  length,  which  strewed  the  ground  on 
either  side  of  the  road. 

i  l  What  would  you  do  with  it  1  "  laughed 
Scott. 

"  Take  it  home  for  a  memento  or  curiosity. 
I'd  hang  it  upside  down  in  my  room,  plant 
seeds  in  it,  and  watch  them  grow." 

"  No,  you  wouldn't!  You'd  have  your 
mother  after  you  for  adding  to  the  dust-collect 
ing  truck  and  junk  you've  got  in  your  room 
now.  You  ought  to  see  Jack's  room!  "  Lar- 
cum  added,  with  a  laugh.  "  He's  got  a  lot  of 
old  Colonial  money  framed " 

"  Nothing  wrong  about  that,  is  there, 
Larc?  "  interrupted  John. 


THE  EGAD  IN  THE  FOREST      349 

"  No,  nothing  wrong,  but  it  shows  a  queer 
taste.  Now,  if  you  had  some  greenbacks  or 
yellowbacks  framed,  that  would  be  different. " 

"  They're  made  to  use,  not  to  frame." 

11  Then  he's  got  some  old  letters  of  his 
great-grandfather 's, ' '  continued  Larcum.  ' i  Im 
portant  letters,  too — about  some  bills  for  Ja 
maica  rum  he  wanted  to  collect.  He's  got  an 
old  horse-pistol  his  great-uncle  carried  at 
Bunker  Hill  or  somewhere  else " 

"  You  don't  understand  what  it  means  to 
have  ancestors,  Larc.  Out  where  you  live 
everybody  keeps  mighty  quiet  about  his  grand 
father " 

'  *  No  more  quiet  than  his  grandfather  keeps, '  * 
asserted  Larcum  dryly.  "  I  tell  you,  in  a 
Eepublic  like  ours,  what's  the  use  in  a  man 
trying  to  bolster  himself  up  by  telling  what 
a  big  man  his  great-grandfather  was?  I 
believe  in  every  tub  standing  on  its  own 
bottom." 

"  That  was  why  the  T.  G.  &  P.  E.  E.  took 
you  into  their  offices,  wasn't  it,  Larc?  "  asked 
John  demurely.  "Well,  I'm  glad  I'm  not 
ashamed  and  don't  have  to  make  any  apology 
for  the  men  whose  names  I  bear." 

"  That's  all  right,  but  what  would  they  have 


350  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

to  say  about  it  if  they  knew?  Ever  think  of 
that,  Jack?  "  laughed  Larcum. 

"  Yes,  I  have.  It's  a  great  responsibility  to 
have  to  live  up  to  a  name." 

"  Depends  on  the  name.  Now,  if  you  knew 
what  George  Washington  really  thought  about 
John  Adams,  how  do  you  think  you'd  feel? 
From  what  I  hear  I  understand  that  the  afore 
said  John  Adams  didn't  think  the  above-men 
tioned  George  Washington  measured  up  to  his 
job.  Any  traditions  of  that  kind  in  your  fam 
ily,  Jack?  " 

"  I'll  tell  you '  began  John  quickly. 

"  No,  you  won't!  You'll  stop  right  in  your 
tracks  and  have  a  look  at  this  great  valley. 
Did  you  ever  see  anything  like  that?  We  must 
be  three  thousand  feet  above  it.  You  can't  see 
a  sign  of  a  human  habitation  anywhere.  We 
can  look  straight  down — just  see  how  close  to 
the  edge  the  road  runs.  The  trees  down  there 
look  like  a  sea.  And  then  look  across  yonder 
to  the  opposite  side!  See  all  these  bare,  bleak, 
old  mountains!  They  stand  for  something,  let 
me  tell  you!  The  high  Sierras  are  as  barren 
and  wild  as  Dante's  Inferno.  With  such  a 
sight  in  one's  own  country,  what  do  you  sup 
pose  makes  so  many  Americans  think  they  must 


THE  ROAD  IN  THE  FOREST      351 

go  to  the  Alps  if  they  want  to  see  real  moun 
tains?  There  isn't  anything  in  Switzerland 
finer  than  this." 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  young  giant  was  con 
tagious,  and  for  a  brief  time  all  five  boys  stood 
silently  looking  upon  the  majestic  scene  spread 
out  before  them.  In  a  brief  time  the  jour 
ney  was  resumed  at  Dana's  eager  request,  for 
he  was  fearful  the  party  would  not  arrive  be 
fore  sunset  at  the  Wawona  Hotel,  whither  they 
were  bound. 

Soon  after  the  boys  started,  they  saw  a  rough 
roadway  which  joined  the  one  along  which  they 
were  walking.  "  There's  somebody  coming," 
said  Dana.  "  From  the  sounds  I  think  it's  a 
man  on  horseback." 

The  boy's  suspicion  was  verified  a  moment 
later  when  a  rider  was  seen  approaching.  As 
Larcum  looked  keenly  at  the  man,  he  instantly 
recognized  him  as  the  agent  of  the  railroad 
whom  he  had  last  seen  on  the  trail  on  Cloud's 
Best. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

WAWONA 

INSTANTLY  alert,  Larcum  looked  eagerly  at 
the  approaching  man,  confident  that  he  would 
stop  to  explain  the  results  of  his  researches 
and  that  now  he  would  learn  definitely  just 
what  the  outcome  of  the  search  for  the  sup 
posed  train-robbers  had  been.  To  Larcum 's 
surprise  the  man,  as  he  passed,  simply  re 
sponded  to  the  respectful  salutations  of  the 
boys  and  did  not  stop.  So  great  was  Larcum 's 
surprise  that  for  a  moment  he  was  convinced 
that  the  man  had  failed  to  recognize  him. 

Dropping  back  behind  his  companions,  Lar 
cum  turned  and  hailed  the  man  when  the  latter 
had  entered  the  road  that  led  to  the  valley. 

"  Wait  a  minute!  '  the  young  traveler 
called. 

The  man  halted  and  waited  for  the  young 
traveler  to  approach.  "  What  is  it?  "  he  in 
quired  impatiently. 

"  Did   you    find    the    reporter?     Was    that 

352 


W AW  ON  A  353 

really  his  body  in  the  canon?  Have  you 
had  any  word?  "  inquired  Larcum,  in  his 
excitement. 

"  I  haven't  any  time  to  waste  here." 

"  Don't  waste  any  on  my  account,"  said 
Larcum  tartly.  "  You  didn't  seem  to  feel  just 
that  way  about  it  the  other  day  when  you  asked 
me  to  take  the  trail  with  you  up  Cloud's  Rest." 
The  young  giant  was  angry  at  what  he  looked 
upon  as  not  a  full  recognition  of  the  part  he 
had  taken  in  the  search.  Who  was  it  that  had 
first  become  suspicious  of  the  young  reporter? 
Who  had  watched  him  and  his  companion?  Who 
had  sent  word  to  the  railway  people?  If  it 
had  not  been  for  his  message,  this  man  would 
not  now  be  near  the  Yosemite.  No,  sir,  Lar 
cum  assured  himself.  It  was  all  very  well  to 
take  everything  he  offered  to  give,  but  it  was 
not  right  to  treat  him  now  as  if  he  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  purpose  of  the  man  in  fol 
lowing  the  trail.  There  was  justice  in  every 
thing. 

Peering  shrewdly  at  the  chagrined  boy,  the 
man  smiled  slightly  as  he  said,  "  I  thought  I 
could  trust  you." 

"  You  can.  Have  you  any  reason  to  think 
you  can't?  " 


354  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  Y OS E MITE 

11  I  don't  look  upon  what  you  are  doing  now 
as  a  very  shrewd  piece  of  work,  do  you?  ' 

"What  am  I  doing?  " 

"  Leaving  your  friends  and  trying  to  talk 
to  me.  Of  course  they  will  want  to  know  all 
about  what  is  said.  You  have  called  their  at 
tention  definitely  to  me,  otherwise  I  would  have 
passed  without  any  special  observation.  You've 
made  a  mistake.  Good-afternoon."  The  man 
turned  abruptly  and  rode  away,  leaving  Lar- 
cum  staring  blankly  after  him  and  not  a  little 
put  out  by  the  sharp  words  he  had  just  heard. 
Slowly  walking  back  to  the  place  where  his 
friends  were  waiting  for  him,  the  young  giant's 
face  was  a  study  as  he  approached. 

"  Who  was  that  man,  Larc?  "  asked  John. 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Larcum  gruffly. 

"  You  were  talking  together  as  if  each  of 
you  thought  the  other  man  was  his  long-lost 
brother,"  said  Lee  laughingly. 

"  Were  we?  " 

"  You  certainly  were,  sir.  We  didn't  know 
but  that  you  had  found  the  man  that  held  up 
our  train — the  one  you've  been  looking  for  ever 
since  we  left  San  Francisco." 

' '  Well,  he  didn  't  do  it.    He  wasn  't  the  man. ' ' 

"  Look  here,  Jack!  "  broke  in  Scott,  who  had 


WAWONA  355 

been  quietly  watchful  of  Larcum 's  face  during 
the  interview  and  was  convinced  by  what  he 
said  that  his  friend  had  more  ground  for  his 
mood  than  his  companions  understood.  "  I 
thought  you  were  the  chap  that  wanted  to  walk 
and  said  the  way  from  where  we  got  out  of 
the  coach  ran  down  hill  all  the  way  to  Wa- 
wona?  " 

"  That's  what  the  driver  said,"  replied  John 
meekly. 

"  Well,  that  driver  was  not  a  man  of  truth 
and  veracity.  We're  climbing  again  and  I 
don't  see  any  change  in  the  prospect  ahead. 
Wawona  must  be  up  near  the  moon  somewhere, 
I  guess.  At  any  rate  we've  been  going  up,  up, 
up  about  all  the  time  since  we  left  the  Bridal 
Veil  Fall." 

"  Nobody  tells  the  truth  in  these  parts.  You 
can't  depend  on  any  one,"  growled  Larcum. 

"  Yes,  even  the  dead  lie,"  said  John  soberly. 

"  It  isn't  the  dead — it's  the  living.  Here  lie 
the  dead  and  here  the  living  lie,"  said  Scott, 
in  sepulchral  tones. 

"  Correct,"  said  Larcum,  laughing  for  the 
first  time  since  he  had  rejoined  his  comrades. 
"  But  it's  no  dream  that  we're  climbing  some 
more." 


356  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Well,  let's  get  all  the  good  we  can  out  of 
it,  anyway,"  said  John  lightly.  "  I'm  not  an 
athlete,  but  you  haven't  heard  me  whine  yet. 
I  don't  believe  that  you're  aware  of  the  fact 
that  you're  more  delicate  than  the  man  from 
Boston " 

'  '  Come  on,  fellows !  "broke  in  Lee.  "  We've 
heard  enough  to  help  us  out.  We've  got  to 
go  ahead,  anyway,  so  come  on.  We'll  be 
losing  time  and  won't  get  into  Wawona 
before  midnight  if  we  stop  here  to  argue 
any  longer." 

Lee's  advice  was  heeded,  and  the  five  boys 
pushed  steadily  forward.  The  climb  in  places 
was  steep  and  the  summer  sun  was  warm,  but 
no  further  complaints  were  heard.  At  times 
the  boys  stopped  to  gaze  at  the  vista  which, 
through  the  trees,  could  be  seen  far  below 
them.  The  journey  each  time  was  soon  re 
sumed,  and  when  a  few  miles  had  been  covered 
the  climb  ended  and  the  descent  really  began. 

On  the  cliff  where  the  winding  road  had  been 
made  on  the  very  border  of  the  mountain,  the 
sight  of  the  immense  valley,  many  hundreds 
of  feet  below  them,  held  the  silent  attention  of 
every  one  when  the  party  stopped.  Miles  across 
the  beautiful  and  yet  lonely  and  wild  stretch  of 


WAWONA  357 

wooded  valley  the  towering  mountains  reared 
themselves  on  the  opposite  side.  And,  in  the 
midst  of  the  marvelous  scene,  the  only  human 
beings  to  be  seen  were  the  five  boys,  who  were 
peering  almost  directly  down  into  the  far 
depths  of  the  vast  bowl. 

"  I  can  almost  believe  what  that  driver  told 
us  the  day  we  first  came  into  the  Yosemite," 
said  Scott. 

"  What  was  that?  "  asked  Lee. 

"  That  it  wouldn't  hurt  a  man  to  fall  off 
here — he'd  starve  to  death  before  he  ever 
struck  bottom.  Don't  you  remember?  " 

The  boys  laughed  as  they  turned  away,  and 
for  a  time  ran  down  the  steep  road.  Multi 
tudes  of  gray  squirrels  darted  across  the  way 
or  ran  chattering  about  in  the  midst  of  the 
towering  trees.  The  ground  was  strewn  with 
the  immense  cones  of  the  sugar  pines ;  the  sun 
light,  as  it  found  an  occasional  entrance  through 
the  foliage,  danced  and  glistened  on  the  thick 
carpet  of  needles  and  cones;  an  occasional  cry 
of  a  bird  from  the  depths  of  the  forest  provided 
variety,  but  the  ever-present  thought  of  the 
young  travelers  was  of  the  tremendous  heights 
of  the  bleak  Sierras  and  of  the  corresponding 
depth  of  the  intervening  valleys. 


358  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Not  a  person  was  met  as  the  journey  con 
tinued.  The  loneliness  of  the  region  of  itself 
was  so  intense  that  not  one  of  the  boys  was 
giving  voice  to  his  feeling  of  satisfaction  that 
his  friends  were  with  him.  The  recollection  of 
the  attack  on  the  mountain  lion  made  every  one 
watchful,  though  no  one  referred  to  the  feeling 
in  his  heart. 

At  last  the  sun  sank  below  the  great  hills, 
and  the  approach  of  night  was  at  hand.  "  Look 
here,  Jack,  you  got  us  into  this  tramp.  Do 
you  know,  whether  or  not  this  road  really  goes 
anywhere?  "  inquired  Lee. 

"  It  does  not,"  replied  John  promptly. 

"  It  doesn't?  Then  what  are  we  doing 
here?  " 

"  We're  the  ones  that  '  go.'  The  road 
doesn't  move." 

"  Thank  you.  I  really  never  thought  of  that 
before !  That  is  quite  true,  isn  't  it,  you  know ! 
Quite  remarkable !  Most  extraordinary !  There 
isn't  anything  like  having  a  trained  mind,  is 
there?  " 

"  I  didn't  make  the  suggestion,"  retorted 
John. 

i '  True !  True !  Jack,  when  do  we  arrive  at 
Wawona?  " 


WAWONA  359 

"  Very  soon,  now." 

"  Sure?  " 

"  You  know  as  much  about  it  as  I  do.  You 
heard  our  driver  say  we  would  have  to  walk 
about  eight  miles." 

"  And  you  don't  think  we've  covered  that 
yet?  " 

"  Eight  miles  always  seems  long  the  first 
time  you  go  over  it." 

"  Come  on,  let's  run!  "  suggested  Lar- 
cum. 

Wearied  as  the  boys  were  from  their  tire 
some  tramp,  they  all  responded  to  the  call  and, 
with  wild  shouts  that  were  thrown  back  from 
the  sides  of  the  mountains,  they  plunged  for 
ward  down  the  steep  roadway.  Once  they 
stopped  when  Larcum  insisted  upon  rolling  a 
huge  stone  down  into  the  depths  of  the  valley. 
"  There  isn't  any  danger  of  its  hurting  any 
body,"  he  explained.  "  There  isn't  anybody 
there.  Listen  to  that,  will  you?  "  he  shouted, 
as  the  sounds  of  falling  branches  from  the 
pathway  of  the  bowlder  greeted  their  ears. 
"  Jack,"  he  said  quickly,  "  that  stone  made  a 
sound,  didn't  it!  " 

"  Of  course  it  did." 

"  Well,  suppose  the  early  spring  rains  had 


360  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  Y OS E MITE 

washed  that  same  stone  loose  and  it  had  gone 
bounding  down  the  side  of  the  mountain  in  ex 
actly  the  same  course  it  went  just  now,  would 
that  have  made  a  sound  then?  " 

"  Not  unless  there  was  somebody  here  to 
hear  it." 

"  Get  out!  You  mustn't  talk  that  way, 
Jackie.  Don't  you  know  what  happens  to  little 
boys  when  they  tell  stories?  ' 

11  That  was  not  a  story — it  was  the  truth." 

"  Quit,  Larc!  We're  almost  there,"  sug 
gested  Scott.  "  What  do  you  want  to  stir  up 
Jack  for?  You  did  that  on  purpose." 

"  Did  what?  " 

1 '  Asked  him  that  question. ' ' 

"  Well,  that's  what  the  book  says,  anyway," 
retorted  John. 

"  I  don't  want  the  book — I  want  you!" 
roared  Larcum,  as  he  started  in  swift  pursuit 
of  the  fleeing  John. 

"Hi,  there!"  called  Scott.  "You'll  lose 
your  way  in  the  dark!  Come  back  here 
and  we'll  keep  together!  We're  almost  in 
Wawona. ' ' 

The  arrival  at  the  place  they  were  seeking 
was  not  yet,  however,  as  the  boys  soon  discov 
ered.  The  stars  appeared,  the  darkness  deep- 


WAWONA  361 

ened,  and  still  the  winding  road  led  downward 
through  the  gloom  of  the  great  forest. 

There  were  occasional  strange  sounds  in  the 
midst  of  the  oppressive  silence,  and  the  watch 
fulness  increased.  Conversation  had  long  since 
ceased,  and  even  the  strongest  of  the  party  were 
feeling  the  effect  of  the  long  walk.  The  road 
became  steeper,  and,  as  there  was  no  moon,  the 
necessity  of  constant  care  not  to  step  outside 
the  dim  roadway  became  more  marked.  Lar- 
cum  preceded  the  party,  keeping  to  one  side  of 
the  road,  while  Dana  acted  as  special  watch 
man  on  the  opposite  side. 

"  We're  a  good  two  hours  behind  the  coach," 
suggested  Scott  at  last,  his  voice  betraying  his 
weariness  as  he  spoke. 

"  Never  mind!  "  called  Larcum.  "  We're 
in  for  it  and  there's  only  one  way  out.  No  use 
in  crying  now." 

"  Hey!  '  suddenly  shouted  Lee.  "  Look 
yonder,  off  to  the  right.  I  can  see  a  light  over 
there  among  the  trees.  Is  it  Wawona?  " 

"It's  a  light — yes,  and  there's  another," 
said  Dana,  as  the  boys  stopped  to  watch  the 
glow  far  in  advance  of  them.  "  From  the  look 
of  it  I  don't  believe  it's  more  than  five  miles 
away." 


362  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Five  miles!  "What  are  you  talking 
about?  "  demanded  John.  "  That  light  can't 
be  more  than  half-  or  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
from  this  place." 

"  You  forget  the  magnificent  distances  out 
here  in  the  West.  Don't  you  remember  the 
man  who  came  for  his  first  visit  and  how  often 
he  had  been  told  how  far  away  the  mountains 
really  were  that  looked  to  be  so  near,  and  he 
had  had  the  tale  repeated  so  many  times  that 
it  became  an  old,  old  story,  and,  when  he  came 
at  last  to  a  little  brook  that  he  could  step 
across,  that  he  sat  down  and  began  to  take 

off  his  shoes  and  stockings  and "  began 

Dana. 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  broke  in  Larcum.  ll  He  was 
going  to  take  no  chances.  He  was  wise  now 
and  going  to  swim  the  wide  river,  or  be  pre 
pared  to,  anyway.  Oh,  yes;  we've  heard  that 
story  about  every  hour  since  we  first  came  in 
side  the  borders  of  California.  Don't  inflict  it 
upon  us  some  more— 

1 '  I  won 't, ' '  laughed  Dana.  < '  Come  on !  The 
road  veers  to  the  right  pretty  soon  and  we'll 
have  to  cross  the  bridge.  We  may  not  get  any 
dinner,  but  we  '11  be  in  time  for  breakfast.  What 
time  is  it,  anyway?  " 


WAWONA  363 

"  Time  we  were  in  Wawona!  "  exclaimed 
Scott. 

"With  spirits  restored  now  that  the  end  of 
the  journey  could  be  seen,  the  boys  all  began 
to  run.  Down  the  steep  road,  across  the  bridge 
they  turned,  and,  within  a  few  minutes,  they 
saw  the  lights  of  the  hotel  before  them. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

JOHN'S   BEAR 

WEAKIED  and  dusty  from  their  long  and  tire 
some  tramp,  still  all  the  boys  were  ready  within 
a  brief  time  for  the  special  dinner,  which  was 
speedily  prepared  and  served.  When  later 
they  stepped  out  upon  the  piazza  their  spirits 
were  greatly  revived,  and  the  sound  of  the 
splashing  water  in  the  fountain  in  front  of  the 
hotel,  the  dim  outlines  of  the  surrounding  moun 
tains,  as  well  as  the  cool  and  bracing  air  of 
the  summer  evening,  were  all  matters  of  keen 
interest  and  enjoyment. 

"  Well,"  said  Larcum,  when  the  boys  were 
seated,  "  we  have  had  one  experience  anyway 
to-day  that  doesn't  come  to  every  traveler  in 
the  Yosemite." 

"  You  mean  the  fight  with  that  mountain 
lion,  don't  you?  "  asked  Lee. 

' l  I  do, ' '  replied  Larcum  fervently.  '  '  I  hope 
we  never  shall  see  another." 

"  Not  if  you  are  along  with  us,"  said  John. 

364 


JOHN'S  BEAR  365 

"  Larc,"  he  added,  turning  to  his  huge  friend, 
"  what  you  need  is  training — education.  No 
one  who  had  had  the  slightest  contact  with  the 
things  that  make  for  culture  would  ever  think 
of  going  up  alone  against  a  mountain  lion  as 
you  did." 

"  He  wouldn't?  He  wouldn't?  "  demanded 
Larcum  promptly.  "  Well,  that's  right;  prob 
ably  he  wouldn't,  if  he  hadn't  any  thought  for 
anything  besides  codfish  and  Bunker  Hill  and 
Plymouth  Bock.  You've  got  clear  beyond  that 
yourself,  I'll  admit;  but  I  can't  stand  by  and 
see  a  pretty  little  fawn  chewed  up  by  a  great 
cat  like  that  beast!  No,  sir!  I  feel  the  way 
your  ancestors  did  when  they  shouldered  their 
guns  and  started  for  Concord  and  Lexington. 
I'm  glad  I'm  ready  to  fight  to-day  for  the 
wrongs  of  the  world." 

"  Yes,  some  people  fight  for  the  wrong  and 
some  for  the  right,"  said  John  demurely. 

"  And  some  people  think  that  whatever 
they  fight  for  must  be  right,  because  they 
happen  to  be  the  ones  that  are  doing  the 
fighting. ' ' 

"I'm  not  sorry  we  saw  a  real  mountain 
lion,"  said  Lee,  "  but  I'm  glad  Larc  happened 
to  be  with  me  at  the  time.  If  I'd  been  alone, 


366  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

I'm  afraid  that  sneaking  cat  would  have  mis 
taken  me  for  a  bone  and  made  off  with  me." 

"  It  did  look  a  bit  savage,  didn't  it?  "  said 
Scott.  "  From  the  stories  I  have  read  in  the 
papers,  and  from  the  delightful  tales  poured 
into  my  boyish,  credulous  ears,  I  had  somehow 
obtained  the  impression  that  the  mountain  lion 
was  far  more  savage  than  the  leopard  or  the 
lion  of  the  desert." 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  in  a  corner  alone  with 
one,"  said  Lee.  "  I  sha'n't  forget  very  soon 
the  way  this  fellow's  ears  were  flattened 
against  his  head,  his  wide-open  smile,  and  the 
appearance  of  the  few  teeth  he  possessed.  That 
was  a  fool  thing  for  Larc  to  do,  to  start  alone 
against  the  beast.  He  might  have  been  torn 
into  a  thousand  pieces." 

' '  Make  it  twelve  hundred  or  eleven-fifty,  and 
I'll  agree,"  said  Larcum  dryly. 

"  But  they  do  attack  men  sometimes,"  as 
serted  Dana. 

"  That  driver  we  had  coming  over  says  they 
don't  unless  they're  cornered  or  ravenously 
hungry,"  said  John. 

"  I  guess  that  was  one  of  his  tales  for  trav 
elers,"  laughed  Dana. 

Well,  that's  what  he  said,  anyway,"  said 


. . 


JOHN'S  BEAR  367 

John  persistently.  "  He  told  me  that  he  knew 
of  a  case  where  a  pair  of  those  lions  kept  a 
man — a  miner  I  guess  he  was,  or  a  trapper,  I 
forget  which — in  his  cabin  for  a  week.  They'd 
crawl  up  on  the  roof  of  his  hut  and  gnaw  and 
claw  away  at  the  boards,  trying  to  get  in.  They 
even  started  to  come  down  his  chimney." 

"  I  haven't  any  doubt  about  it,"  joined  in 
Dana.  "  I  knew  a  man  that  was  out  prospect 
ing  one  time  and  ran  across  a  huge  mountain 
lion — he  said  it  was  '  immense,  the  biggest  he 
ever  saw.'  The  miner  shot  and  missed,  and 
then  the  lion  sprang  for  him.  The  miner  used 
his  gun  as  a  club,  and  finally  beat  off  the  var 
mint  for  a  little  while;  but  it  came  back  in  a 
few  minutes.  The  miner  had  bent  his  gun- 
barrel  when  he  had  struck  at  the  lion,  and  his 
weapon  was  in  the  form  of  a  crescent  when 
he  had  time  to  draw  a  long  breath." 

"Go  on  with  that  tale!"  said  Larcum 
promptly. 

"  Well,  the  miner  finally  loaded  up  his  gun 
with  buckshot  just  before  the  savage  monster 
came  back  at  him.  He  dodged  behind  a  tree, 
and  then  there  was  a  race — the  lion  chasing  the 
man  around  and  around  the  stump.  They  made 
good  time,  both  of  them,  but  the  miner  soon 


368  FOUR  BOYS  IN  TEE  YOSEMITE 

found  out  that  lie  wasn't  making  very  good 
time,  compared  with  his  pursuer.  He  knew  he 
couldn't  keep  up  the  pace  much  longer.77 

"  What  did  he  do!  "  inquired  John  inno 
cently. 

"  He  finally  took  his  gun — you  know,  I  told 
you  he'd  bent  the  barrel  until  it  was  almost 
double — and,  shoving  it  around  the  bark  of  the 
tree  in  front  of  him,  he  found  it  just  reached 
the  tail  of  the  terrible  lion.  The  miner  then 
pulled  the  trigger 

"  And  what  happened?  "  asked  John. 

"  That  miner  told  me  that  he  never  was  so 
glad  over  anything  that  had  ever  happened  to 
him  in  his  life  as  he  was  that  he'd  bent  his 
gun  until  it  looked  like  a  barrel-hoop.  You 
see,  now  it  reached  right  around  the  tree,  and 
when  he  pulled  the  trigger 

"  The  gun  went  off  and  the  buckshot  kept 
going  'round  the  tree,  didn't  they!  "  broke  in 
Scott. 

"  When  he  pulled  the  trigger,  as  I  was  say 
ing "  remarked  Dana. 

"  Three  times  you've  told  us  that  remark 
able  fact,"  said  Lee. 

"  Well,  the  miner  did  it,  anyway,  and  the 
gun-barrel  reached  around  to  the  opposite  side 


JOHN'S  BEAR  369 

of  the  tree.  The  charge  blew  the  lion's  body 
all  to  pieces — that  is,  it  blew  all  of  it  clear  up 
to  his  forelegs.  It  never  hurt  them,  and 
it  didn't  touch  the  head.  The  miner  told  me 
the  expression  of  surprise  on  the  lion's  face — 
you  see,  there  wasn't  much  of  the  beast  left, 
except  his  face— 

"  And  kindly  countenance,"  suggested  Lar- 
cum. 

"  You  wouldn't  expect  that  to  be  very  far 
from  the  face,  would  you?  Well,  the  miner  said 
the  look  of  reproach  on  the  face  of  that  lion 
has  haunted  him  ever  since." 

"  And  well  it  might,"  said  Larcum  soberly. 
"  Did  you  ever  hear  about  the  long-haired  man 
that  met  the  little  boy  on  the  street?  " 

"  Many,  many  a  time,"  said  Dana  promptly. 
"  My  grandfather  said  that  story  was  hang 
ing  from  the  trees  when  he  first  came  into 
Oregon. ' ' 

"  Hanging  beside  your  grandfather  on  the 
same  tree?  " 

' i  No.  It  was  hanging  there  waiting  for  him. 
It  had  been  there  ever  since  DeSoto  first  dis 
covered  the  West." 

"  Where  does  your  esteemed  grandfather  lie 
now?  "  asked  Larcum. 


370  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  His  grave  is  in  Portland." 

"  There  lie  the  dead  and  here  the  living  lie," 
murmured  Larcum. 

"  What  about  the  long-haired  man  and  the 
small  boy,  Larc?  "  asked  John. 

"  Why,  the  boy  stopped  the  man  and  in 
quired  the  time.  i  Five  minutes  past  nine/  the 
man  told  him.  '  Well,'  said  the  boy,  *  at  nine- 
twenty-five  get  your  hair  cut.' 

"  That  was  good  advice,"  said  Scott. 
"  Nothing  wrong  about  that,  Larc.  If  there's 
anything  I  can't  endure,  it's  a  long-haired  man 
or  a  short-haired  woman." 

4 i  Go  on  with  that  exciting  story,  Larc!  "  or 
dered  Lee.  "  I've  been  kept  in  suspense  too 
long  already.  What  happened?  " 

"  The  man  began  to  chase  the  impudent  boy 
and  ran,  bump!  into  a  big,  fat  policeman. 
1  What's  wrong?  '  said  the  policeman.  <  See 
that  boy  running  yonder?  '  said  the  long-haired 
one.  '  Yep,'  replied  the  policeman,  in  terse 
Oregonian.  <  Well,  he  told  me  to  get  my  hair 
cut  at  nine-twenty-five.'  The  guardian  of  the 
peace  pulled  his  watch  from  his  pocket,  and 
looking  at  it " 

'"  The  watch  or  the  pocket,  Larc?  "  broke 
in  John. 


JOHN'S  BEAR  371 

"  Looking  at  his  watch,  he  said  to  the  long 
haired  one:  '  Well,  what  are  you  running  for? 
It's  only  nine-twelve  now.  YouVe  got  thirteen 
minutes  yet.  You  don't  need  to  be  in  such  a 
terrible  haste.'  " 

"  No  policeman  in  the  universe  ever  used 
such  language!"  declared  Scott.  "Besides, 
what  has  that  to  do  with  Dana's  story  of  the 
miner  with  the  bent  gun?  I  don't  see  the  con 
nection." 

"  There  isn't  any  connection,"  said  Larcum 
soberly.  "  That's  the  joke." 

"  About  like  the  bears  we  saw  to-day,"  said 
Scott  solemnly. 

"  But  we  didn't  see  any  bears,"  suggested 
John. 

"  Didn't l  see  any  bears  '?  "  responded  Dana, 
"  Why,  there  are  lots  of  them." 

"  Where?  " 

"  All  around  us.  I'll  show  you  one  to-mor 
row  morning  before  breakfast,"  said  Dana 
promptly. 

"I'm  not  going  out  on  a  tramp  to-morrow 
morning  before  breakfast.  I've  had  enough 
to-day  to  last  me  for  some  time,"  said  John. 

"  You  won't  have  to  go  far.  What '11  you 
give  me  if  I  can  point  out  a  bear  to  you  to- 


372  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

morrow  morning — a  big  fellow,  too,  and  not 
more  than  a  hundred  yards  from  this  very 
place  where  we  are  sitting  now?  "  demanded 
Dana  eagerly. 

"  I'll  treat  you  to  a  good  dinner  when  we 
are  back  in  San  Francisco. " 

1  i  You  might  as  well  be  preparing  your  menu, 
Jack,"  laughed  Larcum. 

"  I  don't  see  why,"  retorted  Jack.  "I 
haven't  seen  any  bears  or  signs  of  bears." 

"  You  will,"  said  Larcum  confidently. 
"  You're  too  easy,  Jack.  Clearchus  doesn't 
help  you  out  when  it  comes  to  modern  times. 
You " 

"I'll  chance  it,"  interrupted  John,  with  a 
laugh. 

"  Strange  how  little  some  people  see,  even 
when  their  eyes  are  wide  open,"  continued 
Larcum  thoughtfully.  "  Now,  here's  Jack; 
you  wouldn't  think  he'd  '  rise  '  as  he  did  to 
Dana's  cast.  But,  then,  perhaps  that  is  the 
way  with  us  all.  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  fel 
lows,"  he  added  quickly.  "  Jack  has  promised 
to  set  us  all  up  a  good  dinner " 

"  Nay.  I  promised  Dana;  but  he'll  have  to 
show  me  the  bear  first." 

"All   the   same,"    assented   Larcum,    "the 


JOHN'S  BEAR  373 

dinner  is  for  us  all.  Now,  I'll  give  another  one 
if  Dana  can  tell  whether  all  the  figures  on  the 
face  of  his  watch  are  Arabic  or  Eoman.  A 
fellow  looks  at  his  watch  almost  every  quarter 
hour,  but  I  don't  know  of  ten  men  among  my 
acquaintances  who  could  say  whether  the  i  six,' 
for  example,  is  Arabic  or  Eoman." 

"  I  can,"  assented  Dana  confidently,  as  he 
pulled  his  watch  from  his  pocket.  "  You  don't 
catch  me  that  way.  Two  good  dinners  are 
awaiting  me  upon  my  arrival  at  San  Fran 
cisco.  ' ' 

"  Hold  on!  "  exclaimed  Larcum,  as  he  arose. 
"  Let's  get  this  fixed  right  before  we  go  on 
any  farther.  You'll  accept  my  offer,  will 
you?  " 

"  Yes;  and  with  thanks,"  laughed  Dana. 

"  You  are  sure,  are  you,  that  you  can  say 
now,  without  looking  at  your  watch,  whether 
the  l  six  '  on  its  face  is  just  a  plain  Arabic  six, 
or  is  a  V  and  one  I,  are  you?  " 

"  I  am." 

11  Well,  which  is  it?  " 

"  It's  Eoman— a  <  V  '  and  an  '  I.'  " 

"  Come  on  into  the  hall  and  prove  it." 

Laughingly  the  boys  all  arose  and  went  into 
the  hotel.  Standing  under  the  light  they 


374  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  70S E MITE 

crowded  about  Dana,  who  confidently  drew  out 
his  watch  and  opened  it.  An  expression  of 
blank  amazement  swept  over  his  countenance 
as  he  gazed  at  the  familiar  timepiece. 

"  I  never  would  have  believed  it!  "  he  ex 
claimed.  "  Is  it  just  the  same  with  every  one 
of  your  watches  ?  "  he  demanded  of  his  friends. 

In  response  every  boy  opened  his  watch  and 
then  laughed,  for  they  were  all  alike  in  the 
designation  of  the  sixth  hour  of  the  day. 

"  I've  looked  at  my  watch,  as  Larc  says, 
probably  once  every  fifteen  minutes  in  the  day 
time  since  my  father  gave  it  to  me,  four  years 
ago,"  said  Scott,  "  and  I  never  once  noticed 
what  Larc  has  just  brought  to  my  attention.77 

"  All  of  which  shows  how  much  we  look  and 
how  little  we  see, ' '  said  Larcum.  i  l  Now,  Dana, 
you  and  Jack  are  quits,  aren't  you?  ' 

"  I  am,"  laughed  Dana. 

"  But  I'm  not,"  spoke  up  John  positively. 
"  I  want  to  see  that  bear." 

'  i  Your  blood  be  upon  your  own  head,  then, ' ' 
retorted  Larcum.  "I'm  for  bed." 

In  the  morning,  when  Larcum  came  down  to 
the  piazza  and  joined  Scott  and  Lee,  who  were 
awaiting  him,  they  all  saw  John  and  Dana  com 
ing  up  the  pathway  from  the  direction  of  a 


JOHN'S  BEAR  375 

deep  ravine  not  far  from  the  hotel.  "  Hello, 
Jack!  "  called  Larcum.  "  What  do  you  think 
of  the  bear  Dana  showed  you?  " 

"It's  a  beauty  and  a  bouncer, "  answered 
John. 

"  Did  you  really  see  one?  "  asked  Lee,  in 
terested  at  once. 

"  I  certainly  did." 

"Where  is  it?  " 

"  Just  over  there  in  a  big  pen.  It's  a  huge 
old  Alaskan  bear — Dana  knew  all  the  time  it 
was  here." 

"  Well,  you're  wiser  than  you  were,  Jack," 
laughed  Larcum;  "  but  you'll  bite  just  as  well 
the  very  next  time.  Come  on  in  for  breakfast. 
I've  arranged  for  Scott,  Lee,  and  Jack  to  have 
seats  in  the  coach,  which  will  start  for  the  Big 
Trees  in  an  hour.  Dana  and  I  are  going  on 
horseback.  The  coach  will  carry  luncheon  for 
us;  but  our  breakfast — well,  we'll  have  to  eat 
that  and  carry  it,  too ;  come  on  in,  I'm  hungry." 


CHAPTEB  XXXI 

AMONG   THE   BIG   TREES 

THE  sun  was  shining,  and  the  thick  dust  of 
the  road  was  heavy  when,  later  in  the  morn 
ing,  the  boys  started  for  the  grove  of  Big  Trees. 
Larcum  and  Dana  were  mounted  on  sturdy 
horses,  and  rode  in  advance  of  the  coach,  in 
which  the  other  members  of  the  party  were 
seated. 

"  How  far  do  we  go  this  morning?  "  inquired 
John  of  the  driver. 

"  About  eight  miles. " 

"  Yosemite  miles?  "  laughed  Lee. 

' '  Yes ;  but  they  are  not  longer  than  any  other 
kind,  are  they?  " 

"  They  seem  to  be,"  replied  Lee.  "  Per 
haps  it's  because  we're  going  up  so  much  of 
the  time.  Is  our  ride  to-day  up-hill?  " 

"  Most  of  the  way." 

"  Going  or  coming?  " 

"  Both,  Lee,"  spoke  up  Scott.  "  That's  the 
strange  part  of  travel  in  the  Yosemite.  You 

376 


AMONG  THE  BIG  TREES          377 

naturally  think,  after  you  have  been  riding  up, 
up,  up,  that  the  road  afterward  will  go  down. 
But  when  you  come  back  you  find  you're  still 
climbing  hills  just  the  same." 

"  Not  quite  so  bad  as  that,"  said  the  driver 
soberly.  "  It's  up  and  down,  no  matter  which 
way  you  go.  Just  depends  on  which  road  you 
take.  I've  seen  all  kinds  of  weather  here,  too, 
in  one  day :  rain,  snow,  hail,  sleet,  sunshine — all 
come  along  the  same  day." 

"  Hi,  there!  "  suddenly  shouted  Scott  to 
the  boys  on  horseback.  "  You're  stirring 
up  such  a  cloud  of  dust  we  can't  see  the 
driver!  Go  ahead  or  else  drop  back  behind 
us." 

' (  Every  mortal  is  required  to  eat  his  regula 
tion  peck  of  dirt!  "  retorted  Larcum. 

"  We  don't  mind  a  little  thing  like  a  peck!  " 
shouted  Scott.  "  We  don't  mind  eating  it, 
either;  but  we  don't  want  to  soak  it  in,  breathe 
it  in,  rub  it  in.  Go  ahead,  Larc!  Be  a  good 
little  boy." 

"I'm  afraid  I'll  lose  my  way." 

"  Stop  when  you  come  to  a  crossroad  and 
wait  for  us,"  suggested  the  driver. 

Laughingly  the  two  horsemen  rode  ahead, 
and  soon  were  lost  to  sight.  The  coach,  lighter 


378  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TO  SEMITE 

than  the  one  in  which  the  ride  had  been  made 
from  the  Sentinel  Hotel,  swayed  as  the  wheels 
struck  the  rougher  places  in  the  road ;  but,  freed 
from  the  cloud  of  dust,  the  boys  did  not  com 
plain.  For  the  greater  part  of  the  journey  the 
ride  was  still  through  forests,  though  the  trees 
were  not  as  large  as  the  giant  sugar  pines  that 
had  been  passed  the  preceding  day.  The  ab 
sence  of  song  birds,  too,  was  noticeable;  but 
the  driver,  in  response  to  John's  questions,  ex 
plained  that  almost  every  species  of  eagle 
known  in  America  was  to  be  found  on  the  sides 
of  the  mountains. 

"  I'd  like  to  see  one  of  the  big  golden  eagles," 
said  John. 

"  What  about  the  bald  head?  That's  our 
national  emblem,  isn't  it?  "  asked  Scott. 

"  Yes;  but  I've  seen  a  good  many  of  them — 
but  I  never  saw  a  golden  eagle." 

"  When  you  are  in  New  York  some  time,  I'll 
show  you  one." 

"  New  York!  You  will?  Where,  I'd  like  to 
know?  " 

"  Bronx  Park." 

"  Jack,  you  certainly  are  too  innocent  ever 
to  travel  alone,"  laughed  Lee. 

"  Did  you  hear  about  Jack's  turning  Larc's 


AMONG  THE  BIG  TREES          379 

music  for  him  the  other  evening  at  the  hotel?  ' 
asked  Scott,  laughing  as  he  spoke. 

"No.    What  about  it?  " 

"  Well,  Larc  seated  himself  at  the  piano, 
placed  some  sheets  of  music  before  him,  and 
began  to  play.  The  wind  rattled  the  sheets,  and 
Larc  kept  looking  around  at  us,  as  if  he  was 
begging  some  one  of  us  to  come  to  his  aid  and 
hold  and  turn  the  music  for  him.  We  were  too 
wise  to  respond,  for  we  knew  perfectly  well 
that  Larc  was  up  to  one  of  his  tricks.  Jack, 
here,  stood  it  as  long  as  he  could,  and  then  he 
stalked  majestically  across  the  room,  giving  us 
a  glance  of  withering  scorn  for  our  failure  to 
see  what  old  Larc  wanted  in  his  time  of  dire 
need,  and  took  his  stand  right  beside  the  player 
and  turned  the  leaves  whenever  Larc  nodded." 

66  I  don't  see  anything  very  wrong  in  that," 
said  Lee. 

"  There  wasn't." 

"  Then  what  was  the  joke?  I  don't  see  it 
yet." 

"  Larc  wasn't  playing  from  notes  at  all,  and 
the  music  in  front  of  him  wasn't  what  he  was 
playing,  either.  We  knew  he  was  just  trying 
to  get  some  one  of  us  to  bite,  that  was  all." 

"  Pity  that  John,  with  all  his  knowledge  of 


380  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

Clearchus,  as  Larc  says,  never  learned  music 
as  he  ought.  It  would  have  saved  him  that 
time,  anyway/*  laughed  Lee. 

"  It  is  too  bad,"  acknowledged  John.  "  Hon 
estly  I  don't  believe  I  could  tell  the  difference 
between  '  Yankee  Doodle  '  and  '  Old  Hun 
dred,'  except  for  the  fact  that  one  is  fast  and 
the  other  is  slow." 

"  And  from  Boston,  too!  "  sighed  Scott. 

"  Yes,  from  Boston,  too,"  said  John. 
"  Everything  has  been  done  for  me,  but  it 
didn't  seem  to  help  me.  Music  was  left  out  of 
my  constitution.  But  then  there's  one  salva 
tion,  after  all." 

"  What's  that!  " 

"  Why,  music  is  the  lowest  of  the  arts.  It 
appeals  to  the  emotions,  you  know.  What  are 
you  fellows  laughing  ail  "  he  demanded 
blankly,  as  a  shout  arose  from  his  companions. 

"That's  the  best  yet!"  shouted  Scott. 
"What  you  said,  Jack,  was  bad  enough;  but 
your  question  beats  the  world." 

"  I  don't  see,"  persisted  John. 

"  And  you  never  will." 

"  What  is  the  joke?  "  demanded  John,  as 
Scott  and  Lee  broke  into  a  renewed  shout. 
"  If  it's  so  funny,  explain  it  to  me." 


AMONG  TEE  BIG  TREES          381 

"  No  use.    We  can't  explain,"  said  Scott. 

A  ride  of  three  hours  through  the  woods, 
without  a  human  being  having  been  seen  on 
the  way,  or  the  sight  of  a  human  habitation  ap 
pearing,  at  last  brought  the  party  to  the  border 
of  the  grove  they  were  seeking.  An  occasional 
tree  of  mammoth  proportions  had  been  passed, 
but,  in  response  to  the  queries  of  the  boys  as 
to  whether  or  not  "  this  was  one  of  the 
Big  Trees, "  the  driver  had  smiled,  merely 
bidding  his  impatient  young  passengers  to 
"  wait." 

"  Who  discovered  the  Big  Trees,  anyway?  " 
asked  John  of  their  driver. 

"  A  young  fellow  named  Hogg  passed 
through  the  grove  away  back  in  July  or  Au 
gust,  1855.  He  didn't  make  any  real  examina 
tion,  though  he  told  Galen  Clark  about  what 
he'd  seen.  The  next  year — that  was  in  1856 — 
Galen  Clark  and  a  man  named  Milton  set  out  to 
find  if  there  was  really  anything  in  what  the 
young  fellow  had  reported." 

"  They  found  the  report  true,  did  they?  " 
inquired  John. 

"  They  surely  did.  Ever  since  that  time 
there's  been  a  steady  stream  of  people  here  to 
see  the  trees.  We  pass  the  marker  that  shows 


382  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TO  SEMITE 

just  where  Galen  Clark  stood  when  he  first  saw 
them." 

"  Why  is  the  grove  called  the  l  Mariposa 
Grove?  '  "  asked  Lee. 

"  Because  it's  in  Mariposa  County.  Yonder 
is  the  Fallen  Monarch.  We'll  stop  here  a  few 
minutes  and  let  you  see  it." 

Leaping  out  of  the  coach  the  boys  joined 
Larcum  and  Dana,  who  were  already  there  and 
standing  on  the  trunk  of  the  gigantic  tree, 
which  had  fallen  no  one  knows  how  many  years 
before. 

"  Count  your  steps  as  you  come  up  the  lad 
der  !  ' '  called  Larcum  to  his  friends,  as  they 
turned  to  join  the  two  boys,  who  were  standing 
on  the  trunk. 

"  Fourteen  steps!  "  shouted  Lee,  as  he 
gained  the  place.  "It's  a  bit  of  a  sapling, 
isn't  it!  " 

"  Only  thirty-six  feet  in  diameter,"  re 
sponded  Larcum;  "  that  is,  if  you  take  in  those 
roots." 

"  This  is  the  tree  of  which  you  often  see 
pictures,"  explained  Dana.  "  You  know 
there's  a  picture  of  a  coach  and  four  horses 
standing  right  on  the  trunk  where  we  are 


now." 


AMONG  THE  BIG  TREES 

"  They  couldn't  drive  up  here,"  said  John. 

"  No;  I  don't  suppose  they  could,"  assented 
Dana;  "  but  they  could  lead  the  horses  up  an 
inclined  platform  and  put  the  coach  together 
again  up  here.  Just  think  of  a  tree  so  big  that 
four  horses  and  a  coach  can  stand  right  on  the 
trunk." 

"  How  high  are  most  of  the  trees?  "  inquired 
Scott. 

11  Oh,  they  vary  from  two  hundred  and  thirty 
to  three  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  in  height," 
replied  the  driver. 

"  What!  " 

"It's  a  fact!  " 

"  How  many  of  these  Big  Trees  are  there?  " 

* '  About  six  hundred  up  here. ' ' 

"  Why  doesn't  some  one  cut  them  down?  ' 

"  It  wouldn't  be  a  very  healthy  occupation 
for  any  one,"  laughed  Dana.  "  The  state  has 
reserved  about  four  square  miles  here,  and  no 
lumberman  dares  to  touch  a  tree  with  his  ax 
or  saw.  There  are  really  two  groves,  you  know 
— the  lower,  where  we  are,  and  the  upper.  Some 
of  these  trees  would  be  a  good  deal  larger  than 
they  are  if  they  hadn't  been  damaged." 

"  How  were  they  damaged?  " 

"  Fire." 


384  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TOSEMITE 

"  Who  would  set  fire  to  such  trees?  " 

11  Probably  no  one,  though  some  say  the  In 
dians  did.  Very  likely  lightning  has  done  the 
greatest  damage.  You'll  see  some  trees  on 
which  the  bark  has  been  burned  in  a  foot.  Come 
on,  boys,  get  into  the  coach;  we've  a  lot  more 
to  see  before  we're  done." 

A  brief  ride  brought  the  party  to  the 
"  Grizzly  Giant,"  an  immense  tree  whose  ap 
pearance  at  once  suggested  the  source  of  its 
name.  Once  more  the  boys  leaped  to  the 
ground,  and  stood  about  the  base  of  the  oldest 
tree,  as  well  as  the  largest  tree  in  all  the  world. 
For  a  moment  no  one  spoke,  the  silence  being 
scarcely  less  impressive  than  the  gnarled  and 
"  grizzly  "  appearance  of  the  huge  tree,  which 
students  of  botany  declare  to  be  at  least  eight 
thousand  years  old. 

"  Look  up  there  at  that  limb — the  first  one 
you  can  see,"  suggested  Dana.  "  How  far  do 
you  think  that  is  from  the  ground?  " 

"  How  far  is  it?  "  asked  Lee. 

61  It's  a  hundred  feet.  Just  think  of  a  tree 
whose  lowest  branch,  above  the  ground,  is  ten 
feet  more  than  the  distance  from  the  home  plate 
to  first  base!  " 

"Whew!"  exclaimed  Scott.     "It  takes  a 


AMONG  THE  BIG  TREES          385 

fellow's  breath  away !  How  many  steps  around 
the  base  is  it?  " 

K  Try  it  and  see,"  suggested  Dana  laugh 
ingly. 

"  Forty-seven  paces  around  the  trunk!  " 
shouted  Scott,  as  he  carefully  paced  the  dis 
tance. 

"It  is  just  thirty-four  feet  in  diameter, " 
said  John,  reading  aloud  from  a  placard  on  the 
trunk  of  the  Grizzly  Giant.  "  That  lowest 
branch  is  about  the  height  of  Larc  in  its  di 
ameter.  It's  six  and  a  half  feet  through  it! 
The  tree  itself  isn't  so  tall  as  some  in  the  grove, 
for  it's  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
height." 

"  That  is  quite  sufficient!  Just  think  of 
what  the  old  fellow  has  seen  or  might  have  seen. 
It  was  here  when  Clearchus  marched  his  four 
teen  parasangs,"  murmured  Larcum. 

"  That's  right,"  laughed  John.  "  It  was 
here  when  Noah  built  his  ark.  It  was  here 
when  Moses  led  the  Children  of  Israel  out  of 
Egypt.  This  old  tree  was  old  enough  to  die  of 
old  age  when  the  Greeks  fought  at  Salonica  and 
Thermopylae.  It  was  old  when  Job  was  a 
baby.  It  was  right  here  when  Cain  slew  Abel, 
and  when  Abraham " 


386  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Oh,  tell  us  something  new!  "  broke  in 
Larcum.  "  Be  up  to  date  once  in  your  life!  ' 

"  I  will,'7  laughed  John,  taking  a  pencil  and 
paper  from  his  pocket  as  he  spoke. 

"  This  placard  says  there  are  a  million  feet 
of  timber  in  this  one  tree.  Do  you  realize  that 
that  is  enough  to  inclose  the  Flatiron  Building 
in  New  York  City!  Why,  fellows,  that's 
enough  lumber  to  cover  the  Mauritania  from 
stem  to  stern — enough  to  box  it  all  in!  " 

"  And  yet  there  are  people  who  call  them 
selves  Americans  who  think  they've  got  to  go 
to  Europe  to  see  old  things !  ' '  snorted  Larcum. 

"  Never  mind,  Larc!    You  don't  have  to!  ' 
suggested  Scott. 

"You're  right,  I  don't!  America  is  good 
enough  for  me.  See  your  own  country  before 
you  go  traveling  in  other  lands  and  leaving 
your  good  money  for  J.  Bull  or  Ach  Hein  to 
spend  instead  of  letting  their  own  country  have 
it !  I  spell  my  country  with  a  capital  '  A.' 

A  summons  from  the  driver  caused  the  boys 
to  resume  their  seats,  and  the  drive  was  con 
tinued.  The  giant  trees,  upon  many  of  which 
the  name  of  some  state  or  city  could  be  seen, 
were  on  every  side.  Towering  high  in  the  air, 
the  inipressiveness  of  the  grove  through  which 


AMONG  TEE  BIG  TREES          387 

the  boys  were  passing  increased,  until  at  last 
they  arrived  at  their  destination. 

Here  they  found  a  log  hut,  with  two  men 
in  attendance.  Outside,  there  were  several  ta 
bles,  on  which  the  luncheon,  which  had  been 
brought,  was  to  be  served.  In  front  of  the 
cabin  were  many  of  the  Big  Trees,  each  of 
which  had  been  named  for  some  famous  Ameri 
can  general.  Not  far  away  was  a  huge  tree,  in 
the  interior  of  which  was  a  stable  for  the 
horses. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  Jack?  "  asked  Lar- 
cum,  as  he  and  Scott  found  their  friend 
stretched  on  his  back,  gazing  up  through  the 
tree-tops. 

"  I'm  getting  the  best  impression,"  said 
John  quietly.  "  This  is  the  way  Roosevelt  took 
to  get  the  true  perspective.  Better  try  it,  fel 
lows." 

Instantly  the  two  boys  stretched  themselves 
beside  John,  and,  as  they  too  looked  up,  for  a 
time  they  were  all  silent.  The  background  of 
fleecy,  floating  clouds,  the  mammoth  trunks  of 
the  trees,  the  lofty  branches,  many  of  which 
were  themselves  larger  than  "  big  trees  "  the 
boys  had  known  in  the  East,  were  all  parts  of 
a  vision  which  none  of  them  ever  forgot. 


388  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

The  spell,  however,  was  broken  when  Lee  ap 
proached  and  gazed  in  astonishment  at  his 
prostrate  companions.  "  What  are  you  looking 
at?  "  he  demanded. 

"  We're  trying  to  find  out  how  much  space 
there  is  between  the  tops  of  these  trees  and  the 
sky,"  said  Larcum. 

"  If  you'll  turn  your  eyes  earthward  a  min 
ute,  you'll  see  an  old  friend  of  yours." 

"Who?"  exclaimed  Larcum,  sitting  in 
stantly  erect. 

"  That  reporter  we  first  saw  in  San  Fran 
cisco.  He's  standing  there  in  the  cabin  door." 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

CONCLUSION 

LEAVING  his  friends,  Larcum  ran  swiftly  to 
the  cabin,  where  he  was  greeted  by  the  reporter. 
The  boys  were  all  intently  watching  the  actions 
of  the  two  young  men,  although  Scott  was  the 
most  interested  of  all.  He  arose  as  if  he  was 
about  to  go  to  Larcum,  but,  after  he  saw  his 
friend  start  with  the  reporter  for  another  part 
of  the  grove,  he  concluded  that  his  company  was 
not  desired,  and  accordingly  resumed  his  seat 
upon  the  ground. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  Larc,  anyway?  " 
said  Lee,  as  his  friend  disappeared  from  sight. 
' '  He  acts  as  if  he  had  lost  his  wits  every  time 
that  reporter  man  appears  on  the  horizon. " 

' i  You  can  leave  Larc  to  look  after  himself, ' ' 
said  Scott  simply. 

"  Yea,  verily,"  joined  in  John.  "  Little 
Larkie  is  all  right.  He  was  telling  me  this 
morning  how  he  was  taught  by  his  mother  to 
depend  upon  himself." 


390  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  70S E MITE 

"  How  was  that?  "  inquired  Lee. 

"  She  used  to  turn  the  hose  on  him,"  said 
John. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  Why,  when  he  was  a  little  chap — one 
doesn't  often  think  that  Larc  ever  could  have 
been  small — he  was  quite  likely  to  draw  one  of 
his  stockings  on  wrong  side  out." 

"  And  that's  how  she  came  to  turn  the  hose 
on  him?  "  laughed  Scott. 

"  It  was." 

"  Jack,  you  certainly  are  improving!  "  said 
Lee.  "  It  won't  be  long,  if  you  keep  on  at 
this  rate,  before  you'll  be  able  to  see  a  joke  not 
so  very  long  after  all  the  rest  of  us  have  seen 
it." 

"  Thank  you.  It  isn't  that  it's  so  hard  to 
see  a  joke;  it's  the  difficulty  of  finding  any  joke 
in  the  remarks  of  certain  nameless  people.  I 
have  ascertained  in  the  course  of  my  numerous 
journeyings  that  there  are  some  strangely  or 
ganized  beings  that  can  see  a  joke  where  there 
isn't  any.  Do  you  recall  Hamlet's  queries  con 
cerning  the  shape  of  the  cloud ' 

"  Oh,  let  the  Dane  rest!  There's  the  first 
call  for  luncheon  and  I  do  not  intend  to  be  left 
out.  Come  on!  "  exclaimed  Scott,  as  he  hastily 


CONCLUSION  391 

arose  and,  followed  by  the  three  boys,  started 
swiftly  for  the  table,  which  had  been  spread  in 
the  open,  underneath  the  towering  trees. 

The  driver,  with  the  assistance  of  one  of  the 
men  regularly  stationed  at  the  cabin,  had 
spread  on  the  boards  the  food  which  had  been 
brought  from  the  hotel  at  Wawona,  and  the 
sight  of  the  feast  was  most  tempting  to  the 
hungry  young  travelers. 

"  Call  Larc,"  said  John,  as  he  slid  into  a 
place  on  the  bench  in  front  of  the  table. 

"  Call  him  yourself,  please!  "  retorted  Scott, 
"  I'm  too  busy  to  whistle. " 

Lee,  however,  was  the  one  who  whistled 
shrilly  for  the  missing  member  of  the  party, 
but,  after  a  half-dozen  shrill  calls  had  been 
made  and  the  missing  Larcum  failed  to  reply, 
he  too  took  a  seat  on  the  rude  bench  and 
eagerly  joined  his  friends  in  the  repast.  "  Larc 
doesn't  know  what  he's  missing,"  he  mur 
mured,  as  he  helped  himself  bountifully  to  the 
various  viands. 

"  Then  he  won't  suffer  any,"  said  John 
thickly.  "  If  we  were  to  miss  our  dinner  after 
such  a  fine  start,  that  would  be  another  matter. 
A  man  never  misses  what  he  never  had." 

"  I'll  save  something  for  Larc,"  said  Lee. 


392  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  Could  anything  be  finer  than  this!  '  he 
added,  with  enthusiasm.  "  Here  we  are  almost 
seven  thousand  feet  up  in  the  air!  Just  taste 
this  air " 

"  The  chicken  is  quite  satisfying, "  broke  in 
Scott. 

"  Just  taste  this  air!  "  resumed  Lee,  ignor 
ing  Scott  's  remark.  ' '  Just  look  out  among  the 
trees.  It's  a  real  forest  we're  in,  fellows.  This 
dinner  is  fit  for  a  king.  This  water  we're 
drinking  is  as  pure  and  cold  as  nature  can  pro 
vide.  We  haven't  a  care  in  the  world.  No 
mathematics,  no  classics,  no  professors,  not 
even  a  tutor  up  here,  and  I  don't  believe  there's 
a  book  in  this  grove.  All  we  lack  is  our  whilom 
and  erstwhile,  not  to  say  recreant  companion, 
Larcum  Brown,  of  the  T.  G.  &  P.  Why  doesn't 
he  come?  '  Lee  added,  as  he  peered  into  the 
surrounding  forest. 

"  He'll  come,  all  right.  Don't  you  worry 
about  Larc  when  there  is  any  eating  to  be 
done,"  said  John. 

"  We'd  better  see  that  there  is  something 
left  for  him  to  eat  when  he  does  appear,"  sug 
gested  Scott.  "  That  mountain  lion  would  be 
gentle  compared  with  what  L.  Brown  will  be 
if  we  eat  up  all  his  luncheon." 


CONCLUSION  393 

"  He  ought  to  be  able  to  look  out  for  his 
own  wants,'7  said  John.  "  He  knew  when  he 
went  away  with  that  reporter  what  he  was  leav 
ing  behind  him. ' ' 

"  We'll  do  the  best  we  can  for  him,  any 
way,"  laughed  Scott.  "  We'll  tell  him  what  a 
good  luncheon  we  had,  and  that  may  be  some 
comfort. ' ' 

"  You'd  better  not  try  it,"  remarked  Lee, 
with  conviction. 

"  Meanwhile  see  how  the  viands  are  evapo 
rating,"  said  John.  "  They  are  like  the  snow- 
flakes  Bryant  tells  about  in  his  poem,  '  Lost  in 
the  Dark  and  Silent  Lake.'  " 

Silence  followed,  and,  when  at  last  the  boys 
arose  from  their  repast,  Scott  said  soberly:  "  I 
don 't  see  any  reason  why  Larc  should  complain. 
I  never  felt  more  at  peace  with  all  the  world 
than  I  do  this  minute." 

"  You  look  the  part,"  laughed  John.  "  Come 
on,  we'll  go  to  the  cabin.  I  understand  that  one 
of  the  government  forest  rangers  is  there.  I'd 
like  to  talk  to  him." 

"  I'd  rather  hear  him  talk,"  said  Lee,  as  he 
and  his  companions  followed  John  back  to  the 
cabin. 

The  ranger  was  found  seated  on  the  piazza, 


394  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

and,  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  the  boys  were 
desirous  of  meeting  him,  he  at  once  welcomed 
them,  inviting  them  to  be  seated  in  the  rustic 
chairs  near  him. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  John's  question, 
"  I  have  charge  of  about  twenty  square  miles 
of  this  forest." 

"  Do  you  have  to  cover  it  every  day?  ' 

"  I  do  cover  it  at  this  time  of  the  year.  I 
usually  start  with  nay  pony  early  in  the  morn 
ing.  Sometimes  I  stay  out  two  or  three  days." 
•  "  And  sleep  on  the  mountains?  ' 

"  Yes.    I  carry  a  kit  with  me." 

66  You  must  be  very  lonely." 

11  Oh,  I  don't  think  very  much  about  that. 
The  trees  are  almost  like  company.  One  comes 
to  know  them  so  well  they're  like  old  friends. 
I  suppose  one  must  have  a  love  for  them  in 
the  first  place  or  he  wouldn't  take  up  this  kind 
of  work." 

"  Don't  you  ever  have  any  trouble  with 
bears?  " 

"No  '  trouble,'  "  said  the  forester,  with  a 
smile.  "  I'm  a  bit  like  the  Miller  o'  the  Dee, 
i  I  trouble  nobody,  no  not  I,  and  nobody  troubles 
me.'  " 

"  But  you  must  see  a  good  many  bears." 


CONCLUSION  395 

"  Oh,  I  do;  lots  o' them." 

"  Grizzlies!  " 

"  No,  not  of  late  years.  The  grizzlies  mostly 
are  gone.  I  run  across  plenty  of  black  or 
brown  bears,  and  there  isn't  a  day  that  I  don't 
find  plenty  of  deer." 

61  Mountain  lions,  too?  " 

"  Yes,  I  find  them  occasionally." 

"  Are  you  afraid  of  them?  " 

"  I  haven't  had  any  trouble  yet.  They  usu 
ally  slink  away  when  they  see  a  man." 

"  What  do  you  do  in  your  rounds!  " 

"  Look  out  for  fire  mostly." 

"  Do  the  forests  ever  get  on  fire?  ' 

The  ranger  smiled  as  he  said:  "  Indeed  they 
do.  If  these  forests  weren't  watched,  it 
wouldn't  be  very  long  before  there  wouldn't 
be  any  need  of  forest  rangers." 

"  How  do  the  fires  start?  " 

"  Lightning  mostly.  Sometimes  hunters  or 
trappers  or  tourists  are  careless,  and  a  fire  gets 
started  before  you  know  it." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  a  big  fire — I  mean  a 
big  forest  on  fire!  ' 

"  Indeed  I  have — to  my  sorrow.  If  you'll 
look  out  across  the  valley  when  you  go  back, 
you  can  see  a  great  tract  all  burned  over. ' ' 


396  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

"  How  do  you  fight  it?  You  can't  do  much 
alone,  can  you!  " 

"  Not  very  much,"  said  the  ranger  modestly. 
"  I  usually  get  help,  and  the  first  thing  we  do 
is  to  make  a  fire  line." 

"What's  that?  " 

"  Cut  down  the  trees  and  clear  up  the  brush 
for  a  good  space  directly  in  the  path  of  the  fire. 
We  start  another  fire  in  the  stuff  we've  cut — 
one  that  we  can  watch — and  then,  by  the  time 
the  main  fires  gets  up  to  the  line,  it  dies  out, 
because  there's  only  ashes  there.  There  are 
times  though  when  nothing  but  a  heavy  rain 
will  stop  a  forest  fire.  We've  lost  as  much 
timber  from  the  fires  as  we  have  from  the 
lumbermen. ' ' 

' i  What  would  you  do  if  you  should  find  a 
man  cutting  down  a  tree!  " 

"  Arrest  him,"  said  the  ranger  quietly. 
"  Thinking  of  trying  it?  " 

"  Indeed,  we're  not,"  said  John  promptly. 
"  I  am  as  fond  of  a  tree  as  some  people  are  of 
a  man.  I  can't  bear  to  harm  one." 

"  That's  the  way  everybody  ought  to 
feel,"  said  the  ranger  warmly.  "  Maybe 
you'd  like  to  come  out  here  and  join  me  for 
a  season." 


CONCLUSION  397 

"I'd  like  to,  but  I  can't  do  it." 

"  What  is  it  these  big  trees  are  called?  "  in 
quired  Lee. 

"  Sequoia." 

"  Yes,  I  remember  now.  What  little  cones 
they  have.  Why,  they  aren't  one-fifth  as  large 
as  the  sugar-pine  cones,  and  the  trees  them 
selves  are  a  good  deal  larger." 

"  That's  right.  If  you  would  like  to,  you 
may  take  some  of  the  sequoia  cones  home  with 
you.  The  seeds  are  about  ready  to  drop  out. 
Keep  the  cones  in  a  dry  box  until  you're  home, 
so  the  seeds  won't  be  lost." 

"  Will  they  grow?  "  asked  Scott  quickly. 

"To  be  sure  they  will.  I've  sent  some  to 
England.  Down  in  Devonshire  there  are  trees 
less  than  fifteen  years  old  and  seventy  feet  in 
height  that  grew  from  these  seeds." 

"We'll  do  it!"  exclaimed  Scott  eagerly. 
"  I'll  plant  some  on  our  lawn.  In  about  eight 
thousand  years  people  will  be  coming  to  New 
York  to  see  the  big  trees  there." 

"  Don't  expect  me  to  come — then." 

"  You  tell  the  age  of  a  tree  by  the  rings  in 
the  trunk,  don't  you!  "  asked  Lee. 

"  Yes.  Some  of  these  trees  are  eight  thou 
sand  years  old." 


398  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

"  We  saw  that  statement  on  the  Grizzly 
Giant." 

"  Well,  it's  true.    The  rings  show  it." 

"  Here  comes  Larc!  "  said  Scott,  who  had 
been  watching  for  the  return  of  his  friend. 
"  Let's  go  and  find  out  what  he  has  been 
doing." 

"  And  tell  him  what  a  good  luncheon  we've 
had,"  added  John. 

After  thanking  the  ranger  for  his  kindness, 
the  boys  all  called  to  Larcum  as  they  walked 
toward  the  table  on  which  luncheon  had  been 
served. 

"  What  made  you  so  late,  Larc?  "  asked 
Scott,  as  he  and  the  other  boys  seated  them 
selves  and  began  to  eat  as  if  they  had  not  al 
ready  been  served.  "  What  has  become  of 
your  reporter?  " 

"  Gone  back  to  San  Francisco  to  claim  his 
five  thousand  dollars,"  replied  Larcum  glumly, 
as  he  instantly  began  to  satisfy  his  hunger. 

"  Gone  where?  "  exclaimed  Scott,  in  aston 
ishment. 

"  I  told  you." 

1 1  What  do  you  mean  by  his  claiming  his  five 
thousand  dollars?  " 

"  Just  what  I  said." 


CONCLUSION  399 

' '  What  is  it  for?  " 

"  That  was  the  reward  offered  for  the  cap 
ture  of  the  men  that  held  up  our  train,  wasn't 
it!  "  said  Larcum  tartly. 

"  Have    the    train-robbers    been    found?  ' 
asked  John  instantly,  as  greatly  excited  as  were 
all  his  companions. 

"  They  have,"  said  Larcum  dryly. 

"  Where?  When?  Who  found  them?  How 
did  they  get  them?  "  demanded  the  boys,  still 
more  excitedly. 

"  Poor  little  Larlde!  "  murmured  Scott. 

"  You  needn't  '  poor  little  Larkie  '  me,"  said 
Larcum  sharply.  "  I  didn't  have  anything  to 
do  with  it;  I  only  wish  I  had.  I'd  like  a  slice 
of  that  reward  myself." 

' '  You  did  your  best,  Larc.  No  one  will  blame 
you,"  said  Scott  soothingly. 

Larcum  glared  angrily  at  his  friend  for  a 
moment,  and  then  laughed  as  he  said:  "  Scott 
thought  he  had  a  good  one  on  me,  because  I 
half -believed  the  reporter  was  one  of  the  rob 
bers.  Well,  he  wasn't,  and  I  was  fooled.  But, 
you  see,  I  knew  he  knew  something  about  it,  and 
then  he  had  a  chum  that  I  suspected  was  his  con 
federate.  He  got  on  our  train  at  Sacramento, 
Jiad  a  talk  with  the  reporter,  and  then  got  off  the 


400  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YOSEMITE 

train  at  Merced.  I  thought  it  was  because  the 
reporter  told  him  to  and  that  he  was  afraid  of 
us.  Then,  when  they  acted  as  they  did  in  the 
Yosemite,  I  thought  I'd  surely  run  them  down. 
And  the  worst  of  it  all  was  that  I  was  dead 
certain  when  I  traced  the  fellow  on  the  trail  up 
Cloud's  Best  and  found  he'd  left  his  horse  to 
find  its  way  back  alone,  and  had  made  up  a 
dummy  to  look  like  a  man  that  had  fallen 
into  the  canon.  Oh!  I'll  tell  you  about 
that,"  he  added,  as  his  friends  interrupted 
him. 

66  Well,  I'd  sent  word  to  the  officials  in  San 
Francisco  that  I'd  found  traces  of  the  robbers," 
continued  Larcum;  "  but,  if  you  would  believe 
it,  this  reporter  chap  was  in  close  touch  with 
them  all  the  time.  The  sheriff  of  the  county, 
with  a  posse,  was  scouring  the  valley,  for  the 
men  had  come  here " 

11  The  papers  said  they  were  in  a  half-dozen 
different  places,"  broke  in  Lee. 

"  Just  a  '  blind,'  that's  all.  They  were 
here,  and  the  men  knew  it  and  were  after 
them " 

"What  was  the  'dummy'  for?"  asked 
Scott. 

Just    another    blind,    that's    all.      They 


» i 


CONCLUSION  401 

wanted  the  train-robbers  to  hear  that  a  dead 
man  had  been  found  who  was  suspected  of  be 
ing  one  of  the  robbers.  You  see,  it  wasn't  pos 
sible  to  get  at  the  body — I  mean  the  *  dummy  ' 
—and  the  report  got  out  as  I  said.  But  yes 
terday  afternoon  the  two  men  were  run  to 
cover. ' ' 

"  Where?  "  inquired  Scott. 

"  In  a  cave  called  Robbers'  Roost — we  passed 
it  on  our  way  over  to  Wawona.  It  seems  some 
time  ago  some  men  held  up  a  coach  here  and 
then  hid  for  days  in  that  cave — that's  the  way 
it  got  its  name." 

"  So  these  fellows  hid  in  the  same  place,  did 
they?  "  said  Lee. 

"  Yes,  and  it  was  suspected  that  they'd  try 
to  hold  up  a  coach,  too.  But  they  didn't  get  a 
chance.  They're  in  San  Francisco  or  Fresno 
by  this  time." 

"  Did  they  show  fight  when  they  were 
taken!  "  asked  Scott. 

"  They  didn't  have  a  chance— the  posse  made 
a  rush  and  it  was  all  over  before  they  could  do 
a  thing." 

"  And  the  reporter  gets  the  reward,  does 
he!  "  said  John. 

"  Yes,  he  and  his  companion.     They  over- 


402  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  YO SEMITE 

heard  something  when  they  went  to  write  up 
the  account  of  the  hold-up  that  made  them  sus 
pect  the  robbers  would  come  here.  And  they 
did." 

"  Larc,  if  you  had  kept  on  with  Clearchus 
and  his  parasangs,  you  wouldn't  have  been 
fooled  so  easily,"  laughed  John.  "  It  takes  a 
trained  mind " 

"  Trained  nothing!  "  broke  in  Larcum.  "  I 
know  the  difference  between  a  bill  of  lading  and 
a  stump  speech.  Do  you,  Jack?  ' 

I  know  something  better  than  that." 


i. . 

"  What!  " 


"  I  know  we've  had  a  fine  time  out  here.  We 
have  only  three  days  more.  "What  are  we  go 
ing  to  do  with  them!  ' 

"  Go  up  to  Signal  Peak  for  one  thing,"  said 
Dana.  "  That's  almost  eight  thousand  feet 
high  and  you  can  get  a  view  of  the  San  Joachin 
Valley  you'll  never  forget.  Why,  man,  that 
San  Joachin  Valley  is  two  hundred  miles  long 
and  thirty  miles  wide!  And  such  crops  you 
never  heard  of!  Grain,  figs,  oranges,  raisins, 
grapes 

"  Fine,"  said  Scott  softly.  "  Anything  more 
to  be  seen!  ' 

"  Yes,  you  mustn't  go  back  East  without 


CONCLUSION  403 

having  seen  the  Chilhualna  Fall — it's  a  cascade 
two  thousand  feet  long  and  only  about  two 
miles  from  the  Wawona  Hotel." 

"  Isn't  there  something  else?  "  laughed 
Lee. 

"  Yes,  there  is,"  replied  Dana  promptly. 
"  There's  something  for  every  day  if  you  stay 
a  year.  But,  as  you  have  only  three  days,  I 
guess  the  California  State  Fish  Hatchery  will 
be  the  most  interesting." 

"  I  want  to  tell  you,  fellows,  that  this  trip 
of  ours  to  the  Yosemite  Valley  is  the  finest 
thing  we  ever  had!  "  said  Scott.  "  There  isn't 
anything  like  it  in  all  the  world.  I'm  proud 
that  it  is  in  my  country.  I'm  proud  I'm  an 
American " 

1 '  We  '11  take  it  for  granted,  Scott,  that 
you're  sufficiently  proud,"  broke  in  John. 
"  Words  can't  express  it.  What  is  the  best 
thing  you've  seen  on  this  trip?  " 

"  Yosemite  Falls,"  answered  Scott  promptly. 

"  I  think  I'd  say  El  Capitan  or  the  Senti 
nel,"  said  Lee. 

"  You'll  remember  the  big  trees,"  suggested 
Dana.  "  Just  think  of  that  one  tree,  the  Cali 
fornia,  in  which  a  road  has  been  cut  right 
through  the  trunk.  Why,  our  coach  and  all 


404  FOUR  BOYS  IN  THE  TO  SEMITE 

four  of  the  horses  were  inside  the  tree  in  a 
straight  line  and  at  the  same  time." 

"  Larc  thinks  catching  train-robbers  is  the 
one  thing  he'll  remember  longest/'  said  Scott, 
with  a  laugh. 

"  Let  Larc  speak  for  himself,"  suggested 
John. 

"  I'd  say  the  Yosernite  Valley  as  a  whole — 
including  this  Mariposa  Grove  of  Big  Trees," 
said  Larcum  quietly.  "  I  can't  tear  things 
apart  the  way  you  can.  It's  like  thinking  of 
my  mother — it  isn't  the  color  of  her  eyes  or 
the  shape  of  her  hand.  It's  everything  about 
her  when  I  think  of  her." 

"  That's  right!  Larc  has  said  it  for  us.  The 
whole  is  equal  to  the  sum  of  all  its  parts,"  said 
John. 

"  "Who  said  that?  "  demanded  Larcurn. 
"  That  isn't  original  with  you,  Jack  Field! 
I've  heard  that  somewhere  before." 

"Here's  the  call  for  the  coach  and  the 
horses!  "  said  Scott.  "  That's  something  you 
never  heard  before,  anyway.  Hold  on,"  added 
Scott.  "  Let's  give  the  college  yell  before  we 
go.  One — two — three ' ' 

For  the  first  time  in  its  long  life  the  Grizzly 
Giant  heard  the  sharp  and  prolonged  cheer  of 


CONCLUSION  405 

the  college  in  the  East;  and  then,  a  moment 
later,  the  echoes  were  awakened  when  the  cheer 
for  Dana's  college  was  heartily  given. 

"  Here  the  East  and  the  West  meet,  don't 
they?  "  said  John  softly. 

"  They're  both  one,"  retorted  Larcum,  as, 
still  looking  eagerly  about  them,  the  boys  be 
gan  their  return  journey. 


THE 


THE  FAMOUS  ROVER  BOYS  SERIES 

By  ARTHUR  W.  WINFIELD 

American  Stories  of  American  Boys  and  Girls 

A    MILLION    AND     A   HALF    COPIES    SOLD     OF    THIS    SERIES 
12mo.  Cloth.    Handsomely  printed  and  illustrated.    Price  per  vol.  60c..  postpaid 

THE    ROVER    BOYS    AT    SCHOOL 
Or  The  Cadets  of  Putnam  Hall 

THii   ROVER   BOYS    ON   THE   OCEAN 
Or  A  Chase  for  a  Fortune 

THE   ROVER   BOYS   IN   THE   JUNGLE 

Or  Stirring  Adventures  in  Africa 

THE   ROVER   BOYS    OUT   WEST 
Or  The  Search  for  a  Lost  Mine 

THE  ROVER  BOYS  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES 

Or  The  Secret  of  the  Island  Cave 

THE   ROVER   BOYS    IN   THE    MOUNTAINS 
Or  A  Hunt  for  Fame  and  Fortune 

THE    ROVER   BOYS    ON    LAND    AND    SEA 

Or  The  Crusoes  of  Seven  Islands 

THE   ROVER   BOYS   IN   CAMP 
Or  The  Rivals  of  Pine  Island 

THE   ROVER   BOYS    ON   THE   RIVER 
Or  The  Search  for  the  Missing  Houseboat 

THE    ROVER    BOYS   ON   THE    PLAINS 

Or  The  Mystery  ot  Red  Rock  Ranch 

THE    ROVER    BOYS    IN    SOUTHERN    WATERS 
Or  The  Deserted  Steam  Yacht 

THE   ROVER  BOYS   ON   THE   FARM 
Or  The  Last  Days  at  Putnam  Hall 

THE   ROVER   BOYS    ON    TREASURE    ISLE 
Or  The  Strange  Cruise  of  the  Steam  Yacht 

THE  ROVER   BOYS   AT    COLLEGE 
Or  The  Right  Road  and  the  Wrong 

THE   ROVER   BOYS   DOWN   EAST 
Or  The  Struggle  for  the  Stanhope  Fortune 

THE   ROVER   BOYS   IN   THE   AIR 
Or  From  College  Campus  to  the  Clouds 

THE   ROVER  BOYS   IN   NEW   YORK 
Or  Saving  Their  Father's  Honor 

THE    ROVER   BOYS   IN   ALASKA 
Or  Lost  in  the  Fields  of  Ice 

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THE  DICK  HAMILTON  SERIES 

By  HOWARD  R.  GARIS 

A     SERIES    THAT     HAS     BECOME     VERY     POPULAR 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  FORTUNE 

Or  The  Stirring  Doings  of  a  Millionaire's  Son. 

Dick,  the  son  of  a  millionaire,  has  a  fortune  left  to  him  by  his  ' 
mother.  But  before  he  can  touch  the  bulk  of  this  money  it  is  stipulated 
in  his  mother's  will  that  he  must  do  certain  things,  in  order  to  prove 
that  he  is  worthy  of  possessing  such  a  fortune.    The^omgs  of  Dick 
and  his  chums  make  the  liveliest  kind  of  reading. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  CADET  DAYS 
Or  The  Handicap  of  a  Millionaire's  Son. 

The  hero  is  s<jnt  to  a  military  academy  to  make  his  way  without 
the  use  of  money.  Life  at  an  up-to-date  military  academy  is  described, 
with  target  shooting,  broadsword  exercise,  trick  riding,  sham  battles 
etc.  Dick  proves  himself  a  hero  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  STEAM  YACHT 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  and  the  Kidnappers. 

A  series  of  adventures  while  yachting  in  which  our  hero's  wealth 
plays  a  part.  Dick  is  marooned  on  an  island,  recovers  his  yacht  and 
foils  the  kidnappers.  The  wrong  young  man  is  spirited  away,  Dick 
gives  chase  and  there  is  a  surprising  rescue  at  sea. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  FOOTBALL  TEAM 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  on  the  Gridiron. 

A  very  interesting  account  of  how  Dick  developed  a  champion 
team  and  of  the  lively  contests  with  other  teams.  There  is  also  related 
a  number  of  thrilling  incidents  in  which  Dick  is  the  central  figure. 

DICK  HAMILTON'S  AIRSHIP 
Or  A  Young  Millionaire  in  the  Clouds. 

Tells  how  Dick  built  an  airship  to  compete  in  a  twenty  thousand 
Collar  prize  contest,  and  of  many  adventures  he  experiences. 

12mo.  Handsomely  printed  and  illustrated,  and  bound  in  cloth 
stamped  in  colors.  Printed  wrappers., 

Price,  60  Cents  per  volume,  postpaid 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  526  WEST  26th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


4 


Y  USE 

OM  WHICH  BORROWED 


LOAN  DEPT. 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
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REC'DLU    JAN  2  2  73  -8  AM  9  8 


61979 


EEC.  CIK.    SEP  2  8   ^?- 

AUG  1  1 1980 


•  .t-tZ  3  '80 


AUG  1 6 1984 


fficciRc  FEB20  1986 


BEC.CIR.HW 
ON  ILL 


2  0  1998 


U. C.  BERKELEY 


LD21A-40m-3f'72 
(Qll73SlO)476-A-32 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


GENERAL  LIBRARY  -  U.C.  BERKELEY 


